Hot Milk Review: The band deliver their ruthless vitality to London’s Roundhouse | Music | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Manchester’s Hot Milk have barely paused for breath since releasing their second album, Corporation P.O.P, in June. In reality, it’s been a whirlwind couple of years for the comparatively new band, and 2025 has solely ramped issues up. Between promo reveals and pageant runs within the UK and overseas, Hannah ‘Han’ Mee and Jim Shaw have been constructing towards their greatest headline reveals but. London marked the second evening of their tour, with a homecoming in Manchester nonetheless to come back, nevertheless it was clear that ticking off the enduring Roundhouse already felt like a milestone.

It was solely becoming that the set opened with ‘Hell Is on Its Way’, an apt tribute to the night ahead, which would lean into their unfiltered, tongue-in-cheek chaos that’s grow to be a signature of their reveals. And the antics have been solely simply getting began. For followers seeing them for the primary time they have been in for a deal with; and for these used to seeing them in smaller venues, it was a style of larger, higher issues to come back.

Han wasted no time tapping into her typical sharp humour. Before the opening tune had even completed, she yelled, “Where is my big fat gaping hole?” to a crowd greater than able to match her vitality. Then as they launched into the feverish ‘Swallow This’, she went one higher pouring a beer over her personal head, completely capturing the band’s enjoyable and unserious vitality.

‘I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I’M DEAD’ saved the momentum going as crowdsurfers began to make their solution to the entrance with out encouragement, previous a barrier of safety guards who gave the impression to be having simply as a lot enjoyable as they have been.

While the safety leaned into the gang’s quirks, the band did too. “You are Lord of the pit tonight,” Han shouted, pointing to a person dressed as Where’s Wally, already splitting the gang earlier than the following drop. “Don’t let that s*** die,” she urged. “Are you ready, London?”

Throughout the evening, the band tore by way of their setlist with relentless vitality. While some transitions weren’t as clean as they might have been, it was a reminder that the band are nonetheless adjusting to larger phases, all whereas holding onto the scrappy appeal that defines them, and in the end, in Hot Milk’s world there’s no actual guidelines past preserving issues enjoyable.

When they reached their introspective observe ‘Insubordinate Ingerland’, Han took the chance to faucet into the political streak on the coronary heart of Corporation P.O.P. “England till I die,” she shouted, after taking a second to name out far-right teams who’ve co-opted the St George’s flag to protest issues Han says “they don’t understand.”

It was a reminder that, past their boundless vitality, Hot Milk are properly and actually tuned in to the world round them and may ship songs with each punch and lyrical energy, one thing their ever-growing fanbase clearly pertains to, and an enormous a part of what’s introduced them to a stage just like the Roundhouse.

And whereas the dimensions of the venue proved simply how a lot the band had scaled up, the reworked model of their 2019 observe ‘Candy Coated Lie$’ confirmed how far they’d come musically. Admitting they’d ‘fallen out of love’ with the observe, which is amongst considered one of their earlier hits, they reworked it right into a heavier, extra pressing ‘nightmare model’ that mirrored the place they’re now, whereas nonetheless giving the followers what they need.

From there, the band appeared to completely lock in, extra assured and comfy than earlier than. Any nerves from earlier within the evening had disappeared and the set discovered its pure rhythm, the gang leaping in sync as Jim yelled, “Wakey wakey! show me what you’re made of!”

The encore of ‘Sympathy Symphony’, ‘PARTY ON MY DEATHBED’ and ‘Chase the Dragon’ completed the evening with the identical hearth, humour, and rough-edged appeal that obtained Hot Milk right here within the first place. While the importance of enjoying a venue as iconic because the Roundhouse undoubtedly wasn’t misplaced on them.

Midway by way of the set, throughout a quick respite, Han had paused to take all of it in. “Light these people up, Freddie,” she mentioned, whereas making an attempt to not choke up. “We made it,” she added, wanting across the room. “You’ve made four people’s dreams come true.” As they step into greater venues, dedicated to who they’re, the band is greater than able to tackle no matter comes subsequent.