On the 9th of June, I saw Hot Milk at Download Festivals massive 20th year weekend. At the time I only knew one song and was only seeing them to fill a gap in my day. Now, five months later, on the 24th of November, I had the good fortune to see Hot Milk again in Birmingham. This time knowing the words to almost every song they played, and in a much more intimate setting. And man, what a show they put on.
Unfortunately, due to commitments with my day job, I was unable to catch Modern Errors opening set, and for that guys, I apologise, although their set list looked to be very good. I did, however, catch Witch Fevers set before Hot Milk. Which, truthfully, was an interesting experience. Brain shakingly bass heavy and somewhat repetitive in their droning punk sound, I initially found their set to be mildly anxiety inducing and was not impressed at the performance they were putting on. However, as time went on, I found myself increasingly drawn into their art. Between the passages of all-encompassing bass lines I could hear, were smatterings of clean leads and crushing moments of distorted intensity, which I found to be relatively enjoyable. That said, looking round the room, they looked to be for the most part failing to maintain the attention of the crowd, at least until lead singer Amy Walpole ended screaming at everyone from up on the bar. Now, whilst the time I didn’t fully enjoy Witch Fever due to the dominating sound of the bass, listening to their music again the next day, I would like to think that with some adjustment to the levels of the guitars that they could be a very enjoyable act for those that enjoy the slightly more avant-garde end of heavy music.
After Witch Fevers unforgiving sound however, it was time for Hot Milk. Coming out to thunderous applause and the sound of thunder, with the opening track “Welcome to the…” from their debut album “A Call to the Void”, Hot Milk wasted no time in getting the crowd moving and singing along. With a set list that was as strong as the crowds love for Hot Milks Birmingham born bass player, Tom Paton, there wasn’t a point in the set where their audience wasn’t fully invested in the show. Between songs we were treated to moments of honest, raw emotion from singer Hannah Mee, and cathartic release from guitarist and singer Jim Shaw, all of which served to amplify the bands own sentiment that Hot Milk isn’t just a band, but an emotion, one that its members feel in its fullest. With an insanely high energy, flawless performances of a plethora of anthemic songs, and an infectious joy, it’s easy to see why Hot Milk is one of the brightest stars in the UKs rock and emo scene right now. If you missed out on this tour cycle, I could not recommend more trying to buy tickets for the next tour they do, no matter when that is.
