HOT MILK // THE ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON
Hot Milk turn up the heat at the Roundhouse and London comes to a boil
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5)
HOT MILK AT THE ROUNDHOUSE, LONDON
PHOTOCREDIT: FLORELLE SERVAGEON VIA LIVESPHERE MAGAZINE
Have you ever wondered what happens when existential dread, glitter, a ton of guitars and Manchester grit formed a band? Well, Hot Milk are a live demonstration of this, as they embarked on their short UK tour selling out their biggest venues to date. The alt-rock duo returned to the capital for a headlining show that felt that a victory lap and a group therapy session all happening at once.
The opening duties fell to the kind of rising acts that you pretend you knew before they were famous. First up was Silly Goose, who brought their nu-metal and energetic music out of the U.S. and into the U.K. to the mix. Silly Goose are Atlanta’s favourite parking lot band - and that is only because they are always found where they are not supposed to be. Jumping on stage like feral cats, they brought chaos in the best way possible. Even though the crowd looked a little bit like they were trying to find where the bar was, the band still managed to turn polite nodding into actual movement by the third track, no small feat for an audience that hadn’t had its first pint. Credit where credit is due then - as they started building momentum in an audience that was primed up for grit, chaos and Manc metal gaggin’.
Shortly after Silly Goose came Cassyette, on her third show in the UK this year. Even though she had a fairly quiet year in terms of gigs in comparison to 2024, she still proved that she has not lost it at all. The riffs hit hard, the lights hit harder and Cassyette’s energy made the mood less gritty but more moody. Vocally, she was flawless and visually, she was theatrical - a mix that very few acts can pull off effortlessly. She walked on stage like she owned it, bridging the gap between Silly Goose’s unfiltered chaos and Hot Milk’s emotional firestorm. By the time Cassyette walked off stage, the Roundhouse wasn’t just warmed up, it was simmering.
Hot Milk’s journey from Manchester warehouse gigs to selling out the Roundhouse is the kind of narrative that every musician probably dreams about. Formed by duo Han Mee and Jim Shaw, the band built their name due to dual vocals, emotional oversharing, no-filter swearing and anthemic choruses that you definitely shout in your car at 1am but refuse to admit it. They have survived ‘industry-plant’ accusations (spoiler alert here: hard work really exists) and released their second album Corporation P.O.P. just this year, taking listeners by a storm. As the lights dropped and the band came on stage, opening up with ‘Hell Is On Its Way’ and ‘Swallow This’, they created a setlist that was like a guided tour through emotional instability.
The energy of each song was not only unmatched, but also very hard to pull off unless you have the confidence that your audience will respond to it. Han struts across the stage with the kind of ‘I would fight God and win’ attitude, whilst Jim provides a counterbalance - chaotic but polite. It is like one of them bumps into you in the pit and the other apologises for the inconvenience, all whilst screaming their lungs out. As ‘Sunburn from Your Bible’ and ‘90 Seconds to Midnight’ comes on, the chemistry between band and crowd is undeniable. Yes, there was a pit - which started and apparently never stopped, and Hot Milk kept enticing it to continue. They matched the crowd’s energy, executing every riff and dramatic drops with chaos and precision, making even the Roundhouse security pause to watch them. Highlights of the set were also ‘American Machine’ and ‘Horror Show’, where the chaos exploded for real (and so did the one-liner swearing orders).
Yet, it would not be a proper Hot Milk gig if the party didn’t turn into emotional trauma. As the band paused to absorb it all happening, and the setlist dropped to ‘Breathing Underwater’ and ‘Bloodstream’, it is like the crowd is not the only thing split in two. It felt like a crack in the armour as the crowd sang along and Han sobbed into the microphone. This was indeed what Hot Milk is all about - existential lyrics mixed with a ‘fuck the system’ and ‘we are all fucked too’ sentiment that is weaved into every chorus and riff. As the gig rounded up with anthems ‘Party On My Deathbed’ and ‘Chase The Dragon’ bringing back the energy and the full-scale drama that comes with a Hot Milk gig. Their show was loud, emotional, messy and unhinged - clearly all the things that Hot Milk is and shoud rightfully be. And if you left without at least one new emotional crisis unlocked, congratulations — you weren’t paying attention.
REVIEW BY: CHARIS LYDIA BAGIOKI
