Red lights adorn the Roundhouse’s stage, creating an ambient fiery mix behind Cassyette. She comes in with ‘September Rain,’ a dynamic opening of serene, grunge-filled anguish, executed perfectly with a velvet husk. Cassyette announces “It’s only our third show of the year, which is crazy to say, thank you all for coming!” to a round of applause and thunderous guitars.
Getting the crowd going, she owns the stage and is bubbling with energy, ‘I wanna see some serious dance moves!’ she yells and the audience follows her lead without missing a beat. Dead Roses is commanding, as she walks with purpose across the stage, her vocals infuse the room with raw embodied pain; full and chambered.
Cassyette introduces a new number ‘Oops’ to the tune of pits breaking out as she delves into the chorus “It’s a bad idea but I’m gunna do it anyway” a poppier and very catchy track that has the crowd bouncing.
Cassyette’s vocals cut deep one moment and soothe and rise the next. Blending pain and passion, she captures the crowd with sweet serenades, soft but balanced. The set is bursting with vibrancy and promise with what she’ll do next. With such exhilarating vocalism and stellar stage performance Cassyette is a true powerhouse.
Hot Milk have had a busy year since the launch of Corporation P.O.P, an album wrapped up in the frustration of disillusioned modernity, igniting old fans and vastly drawing in the new. The audience swarms into the main area of The Roundhouse, the atmosphere is charged as everyone makes their way through to grab a prime view.
The set opens with sirens blasting; red and blue search lights whirring dramatically around the stage as Hot Milk blast into ‘Hell is on its way’. The crowd surges, drinks go flying, the collective overtone is on point and Han’s unshakeable stage presence is a force of nature.
The crowd explodes for Swallow This, a welcome protest against media control and the anger within. The band’s energy is intoxicating; loud, heavy, unified. Followed by I Just Wanna Know What Happens When I’m Dead, a fan favourite filled with voltaic energy. The set is held high with pure ferocity as Hannah ‘Han’ Mee darts across the stage, locked in and singing fully with her chest.
“ARE WE READY LONDON? LET’S HAVE A PARTY!”
90 Seconds To Midnight Goes hard and the strong connection on stage between band members is felt throughout; flawlessly in sync and clean, vocals tight and harmonious. Hot Milk and their occult are unapologetically loud, unified with passion. Han captivates the audience throughout the set, commanding and graceful. She doesn’t waiver; her step is steady, her focus determined. As they smash in with Insubordinate Ingerland Han yells “It’s a social commentary, calm your fucking tits!” The crowd surge forward, pits breaking out in every direction and someone dressed as Where’s Wally crowd surfs over my head.
“We released a song 5 years ago called Candy Coated lies…(huge cheers)…so what we did is, we re-made it..(everyone loses their minds)…so you better open that pit up, this is CANDY COATED LIES – NIGHTMARE VERSION!!!” The crowd erupts as the ferocious riffs pummel through and the gig euphoria washes across the masses; Mae cuts back and gives the chorus to the audience as everyone sings and screams together in unison, it’s a christening by fire for any new fans out tonight. Followed perfectly by Breathing Underwater, an intense, emotional track that hits right in the feels and the atmosphere is elated. There’s so much beauty held in The Roundhouse right now, it’s one of those moments where you think you might die in that pit, but you throw yourself in anyway..