Headliners for tonight’s show at The Engine Rooms, Southampton, were Florence Black. While there are big things coming for Florence Black, The Hot Damn! and Electric Milk made for a thrilling evening. We even recovered the missing party cannon.
The Hot Damn! – Electric Milk
Engine Rooms, Southampton – 30 April 2023
Words and Photography: Georgia Brittain
The Hot Damn!
The Hot Damn! managed to pull in a large crowd themselves. There’s an even mix of Florence Black and The Hot Damn! merch, which is difficult to miss considering the bright colours and blue light reaction, making every fan of the band glow in the crowd.
As I’m waiting in the photo pit, one of the members quickly asks me if there’s a party cannon lying under the stage anywhere. I can’t find the cannon, but I know we’re in for a pretty good time if there was meant to be one.
Shortly after their ‘hot damn’ intro begins, the entire crowd is singing and dancing along as the four-piece band dances on stage. They’re in colourful suits you’re not soon to forget. That explains the colourful merch. And I’m thinking we’re about to listen to some cheesy rock ‘n’ roll.
As I’m thinking this, the singer announces, “We are The Hot Damn! and we’re here to play you cheesy songs.” This makes me smile, and yes, while the songs are cheesy, they definitely make you want to dance.
I take a quick break for another vodka and a loo break and come out to the singer promoting their merch through a quick song. There are some matching dance moves from the rest of the band, with even the merch guy getting involved from the table, and hell, if my bank account wasn’t rinsed from the rising fuel costs of getting here, it would have made me go pick up a shirt too.
As the set is coming to an end, two guys loudly proclaim behind me, “That was fucking shit.” In an incredible state of irony, the next song is called “I Didn’t Like You”. I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud.
The set ends with the missing party cannon popping off (I’m glad they found it), and as soon as the background music comes back on, there’s a flood of people heading to their merch table.
The Hot Damn! have clearly managed to pick up plenty of new fans today, as well as impressing the old-timers. These are definitely ones to watch out for, and with a couple of shows coming up in Wales this year, I’ll be heading out to see them again.
Electric Milk
First up, we have Electric Milk from Hampshire, who have managed to pull in a fairly decent-sized crowd for an opener starting at 7:25. Some of the first songs sound a bit ‘samey’, but they do have some good catchy riffs.
As I look out at the crowd, there’s not a single head that’s not bobbing along, including mine. The singer and bassist are the ones with the stage presence in the band, and with a little bit of encouragement from them both, the rest of the band are warming up and enjoying themselves too.
The final song, Shady Lady”, gets multiple screams from the crowd once it’s announced. They’ve definitely managed to pull their own crowd into this show.
Ultimately, while they’re fairly new on the scene, I can see these guys making a decent name for themselves. If you’re around Southampton, they are definitely worth catching.