Page 46 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 109

BV109 pg 46-49 Hot Milk.qxp_BV109 pg 46 10/12/2023 18:08 Page 1

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HOT MILK – BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE 2, 24.11.23
The rise of Hot Milk since they initially formed in 2018 has been well deserved. After releasing a number of EPs and singles, 2023 finally saw their
debut album, ‘A Call To The Void’, unleashed, to much applause. While feeling like we’re slightly late to the party, the good news is that the party has
only just begun, and we anticipate that it will continue for a long, long time (hopefully) to come.
Hannah Mee and James Shaw are the two members of Hot Milk – although they bring with them a touring band that consists of Birmingham mu-
sician Tom Paton on bass and Harry Deller on drums. Amidst some hazy lights, they enter the stage with ‘Welcome To The...’, the appropriate intro
from their debut album, which sees them asking, ‘Am I the darkness?’ And, while there is a darkness to the outfit, there’s also a strong light that shows
so much hope. The convulsive ‘Horror Show’ immediately has the crowd singing along to every word, which shows how much of an impact Hot Milk
have already had. Underdog vibes shower out with the knowledge that Hot Milk have this, yet will be champions before long.
Hot Milk are multifaceted. Han and Jim both share vocal duties as well as guitar playing. Jim begins ‘Alice Cooper’s Pool House’, before Han
grabs her mic for a couple of lines, and then back it goes to Jim. Their vocals fit together perfectly, which is just one of the reasons why they are so
special. The energy from their music is another plus point. It invigorates through every song. If you don’t have the urge to bounce around, there’s
something wrong with you. ‘Teenage Runaways’ is a pack of punky pop punches, while ‘Bad Influence’ is an invite to the audience to run around in a
circle “like you don’t know where to go”. Han could be the fiery British punk rock offspring of Joan Jett. “I need to see some loosey-goosey patooties,”
she says.
‘Over Your Dead Body’ is a fist-punching pow-
erhouse, before ‘Breathing Underwater’ calms
things down. “Hello my people,” Han says. “You
guys sold this fucking out in Birmingham. What the
fuck?” She lets bassist Tom say a word, since he’s
from Birmingham, before speaking about their
debut album. She says they wondered, “Is anyone
going to listen to this shit?” It’s another spine-tin-
gling moment as she tells the audience that ‘Breath-
ing Underwater’ is “incredibly important to all of us,
and I never imagined it would connect with so many
people. It’s one of those magic things the Universe
does sometimes, I don’t get it…” The tender song
really is special, so heartfelt and honest, with an en-
chanting backbone. The audience sings again at
the top of their lungs. ‘Breathing Underwater’ is a
real epic number, literally giving chills.

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