Hot Milk / O2 Academy / Oxford

Apr 12

Apr 12 Hot Milk / O2 Academy / Oxford

A four hour round trip down to Oxford to catch Hot Milk at the O2 Academy on their spring UK tour as they build up to the release of their second album “Corporation P.O.P.” out on 27th June via Music For Nations.

This was our first trip to the O2 in Oxford and what a fantastic venue. Great to see a long queue before doors opened. Opening the show tonight are Mouth Culture from Leicester, who we caught at Download last year. Stepping out into the limelight, Mouth Culture took full advantage of the large early crowd and delivered a cultured set. Brimming with confidence they oozed charisma throughout. The driving riffs were met with shouts and cheers from the crowd, and part way through for a quieter track, they had the whole audience holding phone lights aloft.

Of course they ended their support set with their hit track Don’t Pull Up, which had the crowd bouncing.

A great opening set, perfectly matched to Hot Milk. Mouth Culture are a must see live band.

Setlist

No Shame

Sharkbait

Dead In Love

Ratbag

Everyday

Cherry

Don’t Pull Up

The lights dim, the smoke machines fire up and we’re ready for Hot Milk to hit the stage. From Manchester, Hot Milk were formed in 2018 singer/guitarists Hannah "Han" Mee and Jim Shaw. Hot Milk don’t sit easily on any one genre camp, and blur boundaries with their sound, whilst their lyrics often address social and political issues. The released their debut album “A Call to the Void” in 2023, and their new album “Corporation P.O.P.” is due out on the 27th June 2025.

As they bound out onto the stage the crowd erupted with shouts and cheers. The front two, Hannah and Jim work the crowd brilliantly. Hannah is a whirlwind spinning, jumping and darting round the stage, interacting at every opportunity with the crowd and encouraging the mosh pits to swirl into life. Jim adds to the chaos and delivers a consummate performance on guitar.

The setlist is a great mix of older fan favourite material as well as the new tracks from the upcoming album. The new mixes in effortlessly with the old and the set is packd with highlight moments.

Kicking off with 90 Seconds To Midnight it sets the tone, one of organised chaos and energy and from that moment on, it doesn’t drop once. The crowd are singing along to every word. Horror Show just takes things to the next level, with the crowd shouting the refrain “Give it a fucking rest” which gets louder and more intense each time. Set against this, Zoned Out delivers a classic punk-pop vibe which has the floor shaking as the Oxford crowd jump as one along to its infectious beat. This is followed by the latest track to be released from “Corporation P.O.P.” Swallow This which changes sonic direction once again with it’s metal-like, heavier riffs.

And then we go back to a fan favourite with one of their earliest releases Wide Awake before Where Does The Light Get In? drops. The tempo slows briefly here allowing everyone to paise for a moment and recuperate, and this welcome break continues with Breathing Underwater, which sees a great supporting role from the crowd as they sing along in earnest much to Hannah and Jim’s delight.

The whole band feel tight and as one delivering a sonically impressive performance. Hannah and Jim are on fire, the vocals impressive and they just bounce off each others energy as if two parts of the same whole. Hot Milk are a serious impressive live unit, there’s no doubt about it.

One of my favourites, Party on my Deathbed sees perhaps Hannah’s most impressive vocal performances of the night as she screams out the lyrics. It serves to whip the already amped up audience up more and the temperature in the O2 is getting intense now. Ut there has to be an end, and it comes in the form of Glass Spiders which just oozes class, energy and emotion, and highlights the intense and powerfl relationship they have with their fanbase.

An incredible show from start to finish. There’s no doubt about it, Hot Milk deliver one of the best live performances around right now, with their trademark high energy, intense emotions and ….. sense of fun. A must watch band, watch out for a show near you soon….

“Corporation P.O.P.” is out on the 27th June 2025.

Setlist

90 Seconds to Midnight

Horror Show

I Just Wanna Know What Happens When I’m Dead

Zoned Out

Over Your Dead Body

Swallow This

Wide Awake

Where Does The Light Get In?

Breathing Underwater

Bloodstream