Milk Music, live @ Six D.O.G.S (Athens, May 23, 2012)

One of our first posts of the year was about the new bands and artists that fit the profile of what we'd like to listen to more in 2012. Olympia, Washington’s Milk Music made the shortlist thanks to the awesomeness of their guitar sound, a raw, powerful yet melodic noise that brings to mind some of the best moments in the history of SST and Sub Pop, two of the leading American noise rock labels of the '80s and '90s. Little did I know back then that a few months later not only would I finally get my chance to score a copy of their excellent debut EP "Beyond Living", but I would also have the opportunity to see the band live, right here in Athens.

Thanks to the efforts of Arte Fiasco, Milk Music made their Greek live debut at the Six D.O.G.S club accompanied by two local acts, Pockets Full Of Sand who play experimental weird rock reminiscent of Ween, and melodic garage-poppers The Mongrelettes (see also here).

Milk Music came on stage a little after midnight enjoying a bottle of wine while tuning their guitars and setting up their drum kit. The 50-minute set that followed was as loud and manic as we’d hoped for, although not without a few technical glitches that broke the flow of the show a couple of times. Those hiccups didn’t stop us or the band from having fun and finally the only complain that we could possibly have was that we didn’t get to hear more than two tracks from "Beyond Living", "Out Of My World" and the same titled one that was saved for the end.

We did have the chance, however, to sample for the first time songs from their forthcoming debut album and we’re happy to report that the new material achieves the same melodic yet noisy guitar mix that follows in the footsteps of bands like Dinosaur Jr. or The Wipers while the powerful rhythm section drives the music at Hüsker Dü speed. It goes without saying that all this fine mess was delivered with the appropriate amount of headbanging and hair-tossing, while the band’s dancing shoes were put to good use. It also goes without saying that if the record sales of "Beyond Living" on this night were eligible for the local official album charts, Milk Music would most likely make it in the Greek Top 10 this week!

Here's a taste from Milk Music's new material from their Athens show - if I'm reading correctly the piece of paper with the show's set list, the title of this one must be "Cruising":

Milk Music - Cruising, live @ Six D.O.G.S (Athens, May 23, 2012)

Set list (as transcribed from said piece of paper): Coyote R., Run Away, Out Of My World, Cruising,  I've Got A Wild Feeling, Caged Dogs, New Lease, Illegal and Free, Coyote, Beyond Living

The Mongrelettes

Pockets Full Of Sand