Nicholas M. Baines
| Nick Baines | |
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Baines at Lollapalooza 2005
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nicholas Matthew Baines |
| Also known as | Peanut |
| Born | 21 March 1978 |
| Origin | Leeds, England |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Keyboards, Guitar |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | B-Unique Records |
| Associated acts | Kaiser Chiefs |
| Website | www.kaiserchiefs.co.uk |
Nicholas Matthew "Peanut" Baines (born 21 March 1978) is the keyboardist of the English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs.
In an interview for the 2005 Austin City Limits Music Festival DVD extras disc, Baines said he got the nickname "peanut" at school when, aged 10 or 11, he drew a picture of himself and his head looked like a peanut.
He plays guitar as well as keyboard, and in the same 2005 interview he said that he has played "music for most of my life". He, Nick Hodgson, and Simon Rix started playing in bands at school when they were about 15. He also remembers: "We were into stuff like Guns N' Roses. It was really cool to be able to play a song and actually finish it". The Beatles have been a major influence on the band, "as they should be on most musicians". Kaiser Chiefs were not an overnight success; singer Ricky Wilson has stated that it "took ten years of playing in this band to 'get lucky'".
He is known by his fans for wearing a hat all the time (as he is going bald) and for being the one the other Kaiser Chiefs pull pranks on; bassist Simon Rix has said "We bully Peanut onstage". In an interview in Australia, singer Ricky Wilson said: "He likes to go the front and clap, and while he was at the front clapping, we all went off. Left him there on his own." When the interviewer asked "For how long?", Wilson answered: "Hours."
Peanut missed a gig in LA in November 2008 and the filming of the "Good Days Bad Days" video due to appendicitis.
Until the departure of Hodgson, Baines was the only member of Kaiser Chiefs who did not sing. He studied at university for four years in Newcastle. He is now a resident of the Finsbury Park area of North London.
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