Now the University of Hull are holding their graduation ceremonies this week and someone
receiving an honorary graduate award today is Neil Codling. Have a listen to this.
It's such a good tune, of course, Suede. Beautiful ones. Suede was such a massive part of the Brit
pop movement in the 90s. Remember it very, very well. And Neil is the keyboardist, rhythm guitarist
and co-songwriter for the band Suede. He joined the group within months of graduating from Hull
University back in 1995 and has since helped them have six top 10 albums, including two number ones.
I chatted to Neil a little bit earlier on today and I asked him what he remembers of his time
in Hull. Hi Amy, it's great to talk to you. I had an amazing time here. It's been quite a while since
I have been back to Hull. I played a gig here about a year after I graduated, maybe 18 months,
but I haven't been back since. But it's great. Since I came back, the years have fallen away.
And yeah, all the memories have come flooding back. I had a great time here. It's such a wonderful
city. Yeah, well, obviously I'm slightly biased because I am a Hull girl born and bred, but I
absolutely loved the university. It was ace. And every time I drive past it, I'm just reminded of
that happy, happy time. And I'm glad you loved it as well. Absolutely. Yes, I really did. So can
you tell me how did you end up joining Suede? How did it happen? Well, it's a bit of a cheat.
My cousin is the drummer in Suede, so I had a little bit of an in, but I had to about a week
after I graduated, I moved down to London and the band were rehearsing down the road from
where I had digs there. And I just kind of started hanging out with the group and they kind of,
they'd met me before, so I was able to weedle my way into the band. But I think all that my
time in bands at Hull when I was at the university really stood me in good stead for the music
industry. It's quite a brutal industry, all told. But I think the time that I had at Hull in that
fantastic bubble at the university really helped me out in that regard.
That's lovely to hear that. Suede, I mean, I remember a huge part of Britpop in the 90s,
but you've had real longevity as well. What do you think your secret is?
I don't know. I wish I knew actually, then we could keep going indefinitely and bore
everybody senseless for years to come. But I think we just, we just love doing it so much.
We love making music and we're never quite satisfied with all the records that we make.
So we always think, hang on, that was good, but we need to keep going because we're not quite,
we haven't quite satisfied ourselves. So yeah, we just love performing. We kind of focus on
ourselves as a live band. And the joy of playing for people never really goes away. So we just
can't stop. I don't think we can do anything else if we tried. We're kind of useless at
real life and being in a band is the only thing we can really do.
Oh, it's meant to be. That's why you're still doing it. But tell me, you say
you haven't been back to Hull since you left university.
How does it feel then to be back to get this honorary award?
It's great. So I graduated in 1995. We did do a show, Sway did a show at Hull City Hall
in, I think it was October 1996, but I haven't been back since then. And a lot's changed. I was
walking around there this morning, around in town and thinking how much it's changed. But
the spirit of Hull has stayed the same. I think it's great. It has a fantastic
the people here are fantastic. And there's a definite
unique vibe to the place. And it's great to experience that again.
Yeah, I think it was voted for many, many years the friendliest city to be at university in.
I can totally understand that. Everyone was so accommodating when I was here
back in the 90s. Yeah, it was it was wonderful. You could you could have a great time in the
university bubble. But as soon as you kind of made the step out into into the city itself,
you were welcomed there too. I had a great time. Yeah.
And it's cheap. Your money goes quite far here.
It really does. It really does. It goes very far. Yeah. And subsidised beer at the
student union helped as well. Yes, absolutely.
So obviously, this is a huge honour for you to be invited back and to get
this award. Absolutely.
But well deserved as well. But how does it compare, tell me, to some of Swede's greatest moments?
Well, it's very different. I kind of it when I got the letter through saying that I was an
honorary, I was going to be an honorary graduate. I was flabbergasted, really. You kind of came
completely out of the blue. I'm really honoured to get the award. So happy. It's like you get
used to things and playing in front of big audiences, but something like this, it completely
blindsided me in a good way. I'm absolutely delighted. I'm chuffed, really.
Oh, yeah. It's a proper whole word, that chuffed.
Can I ask you that before you have to go? It's been so lovely chatting with you, but you know
that sort of cliche thing where somebody says to you, what would you tell your 18, 19 year old
self? All the things that you've achieved and that you've done and you've experienced now,
what would you go back and whisper into your 19 year old's ear?
Oh, crikey. Strap yourself in. Yeah, trust your instincts, I think, because those are the things
that all the times where you make decisions in life, I think it's best to go with your
instincts. Otherwise, you end up regretting things. So that's what I'd say to my younger
self. But other than that, I think just try to enjoy all the good moments, take a look around,
try and remember everything, because it's quite a wild ride. I had a fantastic time here. It's,
like I said, I'm so happy to be back and on such a wonderful occasion. So thank you,
Hull, for being so accommodating to me all those years ago and again now today.
Oh, and thank you, Neil. I'm very chuffed that I'm in great company being a fellow graduate of
the lovely University of Hull. Oh, bless you, Amy. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Enjoy it. Take care, Neil. Thank you, Amy. Bye.
Bye. He was such a nice man. Super lovely, super chatty and down to earth. He's a rock star. Like,
I was a little bit in awe, if I'm honest with you, because Swade were a huge part of my teenage
years. But yeah, I'm so chuffed for Neil. Neil Codling from Swade, who is receiving
an honorary degree from the University of Hull today.