Originally scheduled for October but postponed until last Thursday evening, Catmilk have been keeping us all on our toes. Last performing at Hockley Hustle 2024 at Antenna, and returning once again as an alt-folk four piece (with a brand new single), we found they were truly worth the wait...
A wonderful positive atmosphere from beginning to end – an enthusiastic room full of friends, fans, and families of all ages; everybody enjoying their drinks along with the excellent music. Collective nodding heads swaying along to the gentle melodies, cheering and whopping at any given moment in support, as well as purchasing the quirky merchandise (band tees, hats, tote bags) displayed in the bar area. The hearty gig opened with two support acts: Sobscene and Mouse Teeth.
Sobscene was a solo shoegaze immersion, with soft vocals, ethereal grunge and candied melodical chords on guitar and keyboard. With gentle subdued strumming in Lilian and velvety delivery in In My Room, they excuded a sweet and shy stage presence, reminiscent of Hope Sandoval.
Mouse Teeth were an absolute force to be reckoned with. Fierce Leicester-born musician and poet Nancy Dawkins’ confidence was unwavering from start to finish, delivering exceptionally moving spoken word poetry with such vigour and eloquence. Combining strong feminist sound bites with existential reflections in their delivery; Chameleon Skin hit particularly hard: “The doorbell rings, it’s guilt./And I forget I made it through to complete order/ and now I forget it’s in my hands. /And it is not how I imagined.”
Mouse Teeth also performed their most recent single: (We Couldn’t Even) Make it to Christmas - a powerfully vulnerable Christmas song reciting the weight of heartbreak during the overly-romanticised festive period. The single was beautifully executed and a moving reminder to always look out for loved ones who may be struggling this time of year.
Catmilk were right on the dot at 9pm. Frontwoman Alex Milne emerged from the crowd, having also shown loving support for Sobscene and Mouse Teeth. She floated towards us, centre-stage in a white dress and a brown guitar in her arms. She resembled a young Patti Smith (in Crocs) with her dark hair and kind bright eyes, illuminated under the spotlight, before opening with gentle easy-listening Recreation.
Catmilk’s headline set was an alt-folk indie fever dream come to life. The band were in their absolute element, complete with harmonic and hypnotic tones – with Ollie Thorpe on lead guitar, Cameron Worne on drums, Katy Dawson on bass, each blending and providing tender backing vocals with Alex’s soft voice. They played their brand-new uplifting single The Player, which was released only that morning, and my personal favourite: The Man Who Was A Horse, a popular single released back in 2022. Immediately recognisable with its upbeat guitar riffs, airy basslines, and distinct lyrical storytelling: "Graze his cheek/Peach stubble field/Sweet over bones/It was beautiful and I was so alone.”
Towards the end of their set, Catmilk performed two songs they never had before. The Big A – an old soulful folklore tune, which had their good friend and fellow musician Dan Chapman playing along on his inherited retro banjo. (Alex’s good-natured deadpan humour reassured us all, when experiencing technical difficulties.)
And then another first stage timer: Dreaming of Brooklyn. A song never performed as a full band, recorded over the space of a year and a half with different and former contributors of Catmilk. Over six minutes long, with a serene start, and a gradual powerful build up, the song is the third track off their EP Artichoke, which was released September last year. Before juxtaposing and closing with the great Catmilk classic: Horror Movie Weather, their beloved debut single from the band’s emergence back in 2021.
It truly was a wonderful evening celebrating the eclectic musical talent we have across Nottingham – of beautiful spoken words, profound lyricism and easing sounds all wrapped in a mellow cathartic bow.
Alex Milne will be spending Christmas abroad in Paris with her family. Paris. The city of love, feasts, rats, and endless possibilities - perhaps this festive trip and the high of the gig will spark new songwriting material? Regardless, we hope Catmilk take a well-deserved break, and we’re so excited to see them back in Notts again for 2025.
Catmilk performed at Metronome on 12th December 2024, with support from Sobscene and Mouse Teeth.
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