Get To Know: Hot Milk

Hot Milk are a band of four friends who are emerging with their powerful alternative rock sound. Their first release came at the beginning of 2019 and they're making waves at a rapid rate with them playing Reading and Leeds Festival this year, and touring with rock music superstars Foo Fighters.

Lead vocalists Han Mee and Jim Shaw teamed up with Tom Paton and Harry Deller to form a formidable group that makes music they describe as having a "juicy, bouncy and powerful" sound.

This week Hot Milk spoke to us about who inspired them to start a career in music, what to expect from their live shows and what their biggest career highlight has been so far.

1) For those who don’t know about you and your music, tell us a little bit about who you are and where you’re from…

HIYAAAAA, we are Hot Milk from Northern England and we are four mates making some music that we bloody love. We've got a lot to say and have quite a lot of opinions so we just had to write some songs about them, there was just no two ways about it.

Han and Jim met four years ago and have been inseparable ever since, Tom and Dolla came onto the scene two years ago and we just blended and became one big musical glob. We are livin' our dream with the best people, and we get to literally share that dream with the best fans too who are so intelligent and loving. What more could you want?

2) Describe your sound in three words…

Juicy, bouncy, powerful.

3) Who inspired you to start a career in music?

Huuuuge question guys 'cause everything in music inspires us to continue down this path everyday but Han was really inspired by the riot grrl movement of the 70s/80s as a teenager and Jim loves early metal. When he was 12 his Catholic grandma unknowingly bought him a Trivium CD for Xmas that she made him play in front of the whole family. It promptly got turned off. 

4) Who are your biggest musical influences?

Music wise?? Everything from Joan Jett to Bicep!! We listen to EVERYTHING and it informs our output in some magical differential ways. We enjoy everything from Bring Me The Horizon and Halsey to Andy C and Sabbath. DIVERSE is our influence, but rock has our heart alwayssssss.

5) Tell us about the writing and recording process for your new single/album…

We wrote the next single about a year ago and we've only just got round to finishing it off as we've been so busy this year. We were in LA a few weeks ago so we grabbed a studio for the day and banged out the finishing touches. The song is a bridge into the next era of Hot MIlk, and is something that we can't wait to release as we've been playing it live since Jan. We actually wrote the main meat of the song in a couple of hours, it just flew out.

6) What can we expect from your live shows?

A f**kin' party mate!!! We want our shows to be a place where people can let go, forget all the sh*t that has been getting at them lately and just reclaim your authentic self. We wanna just get rid of all our frustrations and anger at the world and we do that through energy and becoming one big family with everyone there to let go with us.

7) What has been your biggest career highlight so far?

SUPPORTING DAVE AND THE LADS OBVIOUSLY!!! Playing them shows with the Foo Fighters was f**kin sick. Being able to meet and perform in front of new people and that quantity everyday was amazing, we were buzzin'. Also saying that, Reading and Leeds for us was a bit of a tearjerking moment where we could see people who actually gave a sh*t about our music. We spent a lot of time thinking nobody did and for people to come out and support like they did was something we will never forget ya know, what a bloody honour to party with them all.

8) Have you met anyone and been totally starstruck?

Nahhhhh, we are firm believers in the fact that people are just people and we don't put anyone a pedestal, respect is earned, you know, it doesn't matter who the f**k you are. Although, we were disarmed by Taylor Hawkins' kindness, he pulled our drummer Dolla aside after our last show with them which happened to be Reading Fest and gave him the sticks he used for the show and some lovely words of advice.

9) What’s on your iPod/playlists that people wouldn’t expect?

An iPod?? Its' 2019 mate there's an app for that init.Hmmm, I think with us people have come to realise that nothing is unexpected and we're a bit weird but maybe Tom Misch? Or Hannah Wants?

10) When can we see you live?

We're doing some shows with The Band CAMINO (we are big fan caminos) in November in London and Manc and then touring through Europe and UK with the Faim in Nov/Dec. So come out and have a big old jump with us coz we're blooody gaggin for it!!!! Let' av it.