10 Things We Love About Hak Baker

With a watermelon margarita in hand, Hak Baker is the embodiment of easy-going charm as he sits backstage at FORWARDS Festival. The Isle of Dogs-native has just completed his set at his “favourite festival of the season”, so he’s in a jovial mood, and for a larger-than-life character such as him, that means all in his orbit have picked up on this energy. 

His affinity with the city of Bristol is longstanding, and after this lovely culmination to a busy summer of touring, new music is the order of the day for one of the UK’s premier singer-songwriters. ‘Nostalgia Death EP’, Hak’s first project following the success of conceptual album ‘World’s End FM’ in 2023, is a remarkable exploration of Hak’s home, his family, friends and identity. Released as Act One and Act Two, there’s a definite growth that takes place over the course of the stories Hak so excellently tells. “Looking forwards, not always back” is maybe the best summary Hak gives of the meaning. He describes him, and those around him, needing to not spend too much time revelling in the nostalgia of good times past, and concentrating instead on building for the future.

This idea, along with many others, gets explored over guitar-laden, punk-infused folk production. Sometimes thrashing, sometimes melancholic, always impactful. There's room for singing and dancing, as well as listening and contemplating throughout these ten songs. The features add to the richness of the tales, with UK rap maverick Joe James, the ever enigmatic Baxter Dury, and the hard to summarise in a few words, Pete Doherty, making appearances in the EP's latter stages.

Following the release of 'Nostalgia Death EP', Hak is continuing to explore new avenues. Coming soon to select cinemas, 'HAKEEM' is an intimate documentary, directed by duo Dead Horses, telling stories of triumph, trauma and authenticity. It's a popular time for the music documentary, but few are more deserving of having their story told in this way than Hak Baker. Once you've finished listening to 'Nostalgia Death', be sure to take a look at where you can find a screening of 'HAKEEM'.

Hak Baker really is a one-of-one. Singularly talented, and wholly unique, 10 Things We Love About Hak Baker could easily be 100.

Image by Chris Hoare

We love seeing Hak Baker performing live

How did you enjoy your set at FORWARDS Festival? The proposal was unexpected!

I loved it! I would dare to say it's the best of our season. We played a lot of shows this summer, and that was probably my favourite. The couple mentioned doing the proposal this morning, and I was like, I gotta make that happen really!

We love Hak’s love for Bristol

You mentioned that you played Bristol quite a few times. What's your history with this city?

SWX we’ve played a few times. What’s that pub on the corner, the white pub, what's it called? Louisiana? Played Louisiana about two or three times on my own, just chucking about and it's always been wonderful. Anytime we play gigs, we've been touring up and down, and Bristol’s always showed up for us, man. It’s always sold out second to London, all the time. There's definitely an affinity here. There’s a big Caribbean culture here. Big, big, big march against imperialism here, they tore down that big fucking statue. I got love for Bristol man, a lot of love for Bristol.

Image by Khali Photography

We love Hak’s pre-show rituals

Have you got any kind of pre-show rituals? 

I've been trying to, like, not get as drunk at shows and shit. But I've realised, like, yo, don't be afraid of the booze geeze! You like booze, have three solid rums, rum and cokes, or rum and ginger beer before you go on. And when I stick to that, it fucking works. 

I'll be honest, in the middle of these shows this summer, I was trying not to drink, but like, I'm not there yet, you know what I mean? So I’ve just got to respect where I am, and it's a lot less than what I used to put on before stage! 3 was like 15 mate! So three solid rums is fine, you know what I mean?

Yeah that’s pretty mellow, and there’s always after! 

Exactly, like now mate, got this Margarita watermelon. 

Image by Khali Photography

We love Hak’s recent release, Nostalgia Death Act One

Nostalgia Death Act Part One is a beautiful collection of songs. The first thing that stands out to me is the name. What's the meaning behind this? 

With Nostalgia Death... I feel like I’m a lad with a lot of strong, old school lad friends. A lot of the time we get together, it's an obsession with the past, and we'll drink 20 pints, and we'll explode and do whatever we've got to do. Then we’ll be hungover for the week and probably not serve ourselves that much. I feel like that's happened an umpteen amount of times, and this is about not doing that. It's about not always having to look towards the past, and that signifying the best time of our lives. We have a whole future, we have double our lifeline left, you know?

I think initiating Nostalgia Death was a kick in the arse to look forward to the future, and encourage ourselves to not always link our past with our good times. I think the past, wrapped in nostalgia, it's the most jovial and free and wildest version of ourselves, which we love, and we'll never get rid of. However, there's better versions of ourselves, and we can look back to the past and trim that bit and chop that bit and add this and cut that, and we can do better. And I just want to encourage that between my friends and family. We're just trying to be the best, newest versions of ourselves. Looking forwards, not always back!

We love Hak’s song Nameless, and the visuals released alongside

I’d love to talk about Nameless, the first track on the project, I understand you co-directed the visuals for this? What’s the story with this one?

Yeah! It’s just a homegrown thing. We managed to get a bunch of lads who lived 24 hours from us, in Australia, they messaged us and said they wanted to work. And I was like, yeah, sure, come over. And they actually did!

I feel like they were able to dig out the beauty of where we're from, small town areas in the city, and they managed to visualise it in a way that we've never been able to do because they’re strangers. They could see it. The Australians are deep and proper, you know? They’re people that wanted to be free. They’re people that wanted to dodge the law. They’re people that didn't believe in, you know, this and that. They have a sense of freedom. They had the aspiration of freedom.

So I guess they came over and saw what I could see, and then they shot it in a way that nobody else could put it together, being wild boys themselves. I guess once our heads locked that was that. We're not trying to sensationalise anything. It's just a simple thing, about a way of life, and how we get together. Especially in the times when the riots were happening, all that kind of rubbish was going on, and we just showed who we were and where we was. And I think it just worked amazingly.

So the filming for this took place whilst all the right-wing extremist riots were happening in the UK?

Yeah. But I feel like where we were, in the Isle of Dogs, we’ve already dealt with that a long time ago. Three decades ago, we already dealt with that. We're happy with who we are, and I think we're a beacon of togetherness and of the aspirations of community, because we used to have a lot of youth club situations going on here, but obviously, that's where they took the money from. However, we're still who we are, and we're proud, and I guess you'll see that in the video. 

We love the way Hak represents his home, the Isle of Dogs

Do you mind talking a little bit more about the Isle of Dogs? What does that place mean to you? 

It's the place where my mum came after Jamaica, after living in Luton for a few years, where she came and made our home. It was my home. As I said, prior to us, they already dealt with a lot. I remember talking to a friend that lived over there. They're talking about the war they had to have in the 90s with the BNP. I feel like a lot of the old school lads dealt with all that for us, and we were able to reap the rewards of togetherness. I guess because we were quite a secluded place, where no one really wanted to come to, it's like we either live together, or we burn together, and we chose life. I think that’s what the Isle of Dogs is. I said to other people, whenever I do any kind of work with people outside of the realms of the Isle of Dogs, like filming or shooting or recording, I bring them to my local pub, and they just can't believe it. 

My barmaid, the head woman, Cara, she’s just, what’s the word, the ‘head honcho’ of what we represent. It’s just, come in, sit down, do you want a drink, first ones on us, who are you? That’s just who we are, man! And that's the old London spirit that we encapsulate, that a lot of places have lost. You know, with the mass move towards economics, finance, they forgot what London was truly, truly, about, and we're gonna lose for a lot longer. But I think they need us now more than ever. They need community more than ever. Even the government needs us more than ever, for them to win seats because nobody trusts them at all. And we will be the torch bearers and we will show you how to do it. I think that’s what the Isle of Dogs will show you, how to live amongst a multitude of races, people and communities. We’ll come and show you how to do it, because we’ve been doing it for decades!

You really fly the flag for your area and your community in your music. I imagine they're very proud of everything you're doing? 

Yeah but I owe them, you know? I got a lot from my mum and my family, but I also got a lot from the Isle of Dogs. Doors were open, do you need sugar? Do you need somewhere to stay? Do you need dinner? Are you okay? 

Image by Chris Hoare

We love Act 2 of Hak's new project, Nostalgia Death

What can we expect from Act 2?

Truth. Truth on a pedestal. I think Act Two captures the end of the person I am, or was, and the presence of the new person that I wish to walk and talk and greet people with. I think that’s what Act Two will show you.

Why did you decide to release Nostalgia Death in two acts?

Initially that wasn't my idea, but once it was suggested to me, I thought, 100%. 10 tracks can just go out as an album, and it's not a huge, huge, huge campaign around it, and it could get lost. So when you split it in two, that first Act is the emancipation, and then the second half is the dedication. 

There’s a lyric in there somewhere!

C’mon Mr. Sharp! Yeah, I think it gives time to separate the music here, and then the second half, and then it makes people go back and take in the whole thing and it doesn’t get lost amongst the multitude of music that’s being released. So that was more of a strategic view from the people around me, and that’s why it’s good to have a team!

We love Hak's collab with Joe James on Blender

There's some incredible features on Nostalgia Death. First of all, talk to us about Joe James.

You see Joe James, he’s a different kind of beast. He gets stuck in doesn’t he! I met Joe randomly in an office, and I thought, yeah, this guy's serious, he understands, you know? He’s from Essex originally, Southend, and then he moved to Bethnal Green, in my borough. So I just felt like we had an affinity that we didn't even know about. 

The more I just met the gentleman, it just kind of happened very organically. Like yo, I’m making a tune, do you wanna come through? I was in Colombia, and I listened to this tune I’d made, heard this hook, sent it over to him, and he sent me back a verse on the same day! And I was like, oh crazy, that’s how it’s gotta be. I don’t take writing lyrics as a task, it’s an emancipation thing, to release, and I feel like he’s the same, so I respected him. I respect Joe James very highly, just to meet him and talk to him and see how he moves, he’s a good man.

We love the final track of Nostalgia Death, Prometheus - Live with Pete Doherty

Now, you've got to tell us about Prometheus with Pete Doherty, because I think I'm a bit lost for words!

Pete was a man that when I saw him for the first time, he saw me completely with no veil. Sometimes I'd cover up who I am, because it's too visceral. But he just saw right away who I was. And then our first conversation was like, yo, I kind of love you, man. Like you're like my uncle. He continues to show me that support all the time. He's got me. He was in the country because Libertines was going number one. He lives in Normandy in France. So, I rang his people and they said he was around, and they said he’s only got an hour and a half. 

Bro, honestly that tune, I was just playing a lick on my guitar, he listened on the spot, and we just did it like that. Craigie Dodds the producer that was there, he’ll tell you, within 25 minutes the whole thing was made. And we went back over it again and recorded it again, and we just spoke, and whatever happened came out, and it was just that. It's just deep, big up Pete Doherty to the end of the earth. He chose me to support him on his first show back after covid, he’s the best bro, he’s the governor. Like his words, you heard him, he’s a poet. And he had a typewriter! He pulled out a typewriter and just sat on the floor for 4 minutes, and then touched the mic and that was that. Big up Pete everyday man, he’s THE man. 

When listening to Prometheus, this story makes a lot of sense, it’s so raw and unedited. I’d like to ask as well about the voice note we hear at the end of Prometheus?

That’s my mum, I left my mum and dad’s when I was 14, or 15, and she’s just on me init she wants me to do well. She sees me. She sees that I struggle at times, you know, and she gets worried. She voiced it, and I just thought it's the perfect way to end this piece and move on in my life. My mum's words, it's the best.

We love the way Hak gives his voice for the people

It’s definitely an insight into your world, into your life, it’s all there. Is that ever difficult for you?

Sometimes, but I feel that's my job. I've realised what my job is. My job is actually to be the beacon for voiceless people, they can use me. I'm pretty strong, so I've got them, I'm just representing them. To represent the voiceless people, the little people, the hurt people. People are hurt, man.

There's a lot of people that don't know how to say it, because they're not absorbed with egotism. They're just absorbed with their own silence, and that silence will kill them unless they end up talking. So I'm there, and we can alleviate, and I've got them, and I'll keep alleviating, I'll keep leaving myself open so they feel brave enough to do the same thing.

That is an incredible thing, but it’s a lot to take on for you, no?

It hurts sometimes, and it's long sometimes. But it’s okay. I’ve got my people, I’ve got my best friend who’s just over there. I have a group of best friends and they’re there and they empower me and they keep me strong. So, I have them, so it’s cool. 

Well we're grateful for what you do, because you do it in a way that no one else could. 

I appreciate that Mr. Sharp. I’m just doing my job. This is my job, I’m a server. 

BONUS - We love Hak's love for FORWARDS Festival

Final words, we’re at Forwards Festival, what’s the vibes? What’s it saying? You seem like you’re in a good mood?

Personally, I think it’s my favourite festival of the season, I can’t lie!

I can quote you on that?

Quote me on that yeah! It’s been a long season, and what a great way to wrap it up. They get it right don’t they!

Words by Matt Sharp

Photography by Chris Hoare & Khali Photography

Thanks to Margaret London and FORWARDS Festival