At 2000 Trees festival I got chance for a sit down with Hot Milk‘s frontwoman Hannah ‘Han’ Mee. She’s an absolute firecracker and definitely someone you can sit and have a beer with; warm, inviting and smart. We discussed Hot Milk’s recent LP, Corporation P.O.P (Payment of Pain), Han’s uni days and being a working-class punk.
Natasha: Hot Milk’s recently released LP, Corporation P.O.P has huge listens across the board, how would you describe it in three words?
Han: Reflective, political, and riffy I would say. Corporation P.O.P is what my Grandad used to call ‘Water from the tap’ the pain runs through us all in modernity. It runs through us, and through all our homes.
Oh wow, I love that. It’s 14 songs, 46 minutes and 36 seconds of absolute chaotic beauty and catharsis. My favourites are ‘Make the Devil Fall Asleep’, ‘Swallow This’ (there’s a lot of anger in that one!) and ‘Warehouse Salvation’ which is a sick dance track with screams.
Yes! So ‘Warehouse Salvation’ – we spend a lot of time when we’re not on tour going to big raves. A lot of my mates work for warehouse project; I always end up going to drum and bass, house nights, or anything like that and found it calming and good for the soul.. it’s a bit of an Ode to Manchester, a bit of a note to Warehouse project.
That’s awesome! What I really liked about the LP is its full of social commentary, from media manipulation to commodified pain. How has your background shaped speaking about these issues head on?
At university I did a politics degree; a master’s in politics and international relations and specifically, Arctic Warfare.
Oh fucking cool
Thanks! Yeah, so I have all that background. And you know, I was supposed to go and get a real job and then still ended up in a band anyway. I think it’s something that I feel comes naturally to me. I was inspired by bands like Dead Kennedys and Green Day. My past was punk music and that tied in with my political nature and it became really natural.
That’s ace and you can really hear your connection come across in your music.
For recording the LP this was done basically in your flat, but also in a live room in LA. How does that contrast in recording influence the sound and mood of the album?
We did all the instrumentation over in LA, because they had a great selection of amps, there was probably about 100 grand’s worth of gear there that we just cannot afford. So, we went over there and used all their shit, and then we came home and did all the lyrics at home, which is why it sounds, you know, big but also local.
That pairing works so well! You have the anthemic sound, combined with raw lyricism levelling it out.
Yes! I just don’t think we’ll do it like that again. Me and Jim are trying to build a studio in Bolton at the minute – trying to build our own studio at home where we don’t have to go and travel to LA and spend all our money.
It’s a bit of a commute.
Kind of a long overlay! I lived there last year for five months, just to kind of reclaim a bit of myself again after a breakup. I love the city to a degree. There are certain people I love, but it can be quite fake it’s just a different level of depth.
Always good to reclaim yourself! How do you mentally prepare for a show?
I’ve never warmed up, I don’t believe in it. I don’t take it too seriously, I just think you fucking turn up you and you fucking have it out, don’t really take it too seriously and we do our best.
Love to see it! A lot of your fanbase has been with you from the start and are very committed. For people who haven’t seen you before, what can they expect?
Our people are there for us, and we let the songs speak for themselves and we address everyone who watches us. I will say that, like, you know, we’re a working-class band. I’m not from fucking nepotism or anything like that, and if you want to support actual people that have worked their way up and actually tried to make something of themselves. Then you’ll like Hot Milk!
Fuck yeah! Last question, what’s your favourite kind of dinosaur?
Ah! A little Raptor guy. They’re quite Scrappy. Always there, aren’t they? Come and get you when you’re least expecting it!