“Spin the Bottle” is the stunning new album from London-based four-piece rock and blues band The Milk Men, a supergroup made up of the cream of UK blues rock talent.
Released on Friday 9 September 2022, pre-order the album here.
The first single from the album, entitled Go Go Baby, is released Wednesday 15 June 2022. The single is available to stream and buy here.
Watch the “Go Go Baby” music video below.
“‘Go Go Baby is pure Milk Men’”, says The Milk Men’s co-founder and lead guitarist singer Adam Norsworthy. “We love short, sharp, snappy rock songs that you can sing along to instantly, and the energy and dynamic in the song reflects what we do on stage The song is full of life and energy and fun, and so are we”!
The Milk Men, who have made three previous, highly acclaimed albums recorded in the picturesque Surrey countryside at Masterlink Studio. The band enlisted the talents of blues rock production legend Wayne Proctor, who has worked with a dazzling array of well-known names from the UK’s music scene, including King King, Ben Poole, and British rock legend Ray Davies from The Kinks.
Proctor co-produced the album with Adam Norsworthy. This team was a match made in heaven, and one that has made a number of critically acclaimed albums together.
The band’s previous album, “Deliverance”, was released just as the COVID lockdown was enforced, so the band was unable to tour the songs as planned. Instead, they set about building their fan base with videos and single releases that saw their online following increase ten-fold. As a result, “Spin the Bottle” is now one of the most eagerly anticipated blues rock releases of the year.
“We wanted to really get this one right”, says Adam. We know a lot of people are keen to hear it, so for it we have used a number of great studios and production talents to help us put it together”.
The album was recorded by James Welch at Masterlink Studiosin Surrey, and then the tracks were handed over to Adam and Wayne who set about creating a tight, exciting live sound that reflected the band’s incredibly dynamic and popular live shows.
“It was important it sounded like us – no frills and tricks”, adds singer Jamie Smy. “Our live shows are so well received that we wanted to capture all the things we do best on this album. We have a real momentum behind us. It’s important that we capitalise on that with ‘Spin the Bottle’”.
Jamie and Adam are best friends who met at school when they were eleven. They have been in man bands together over theyears, but it wasn’t until they both developed a deep love of the blues in their late teens, the idea for a powerful, dynamic blues band playing catchy songs took shape.
Although Adam formed The Mustangs – four-time British Blues award nominees and UK music scene veterans, he and Jamie eventually formed The Milk Men and were joined by Mike Roberts, who drummed with the legendary Pirates, and Lloyd Green on bass – son of British R’n’B guitar legend Mick Green.
This mix of talents and personalities has proved irresistible to the band’s ever-growing following. Jamie’s husky blues voice is reminiscent of Rod Stewart in his prime, he prances and preens about the stage like a man born to it. Shades of Freddie Mercury, Bon Scott, Lee Brilleaux and Fish all come into his performance, but with Jamie’s extra spoonful of humour and wit, there is no one quite like him.
Mike’s powerful drumming comes from a jazz background, and he brings with it a loveable, playful personality that comes out in his stage presence. He is also fast-becoming known as the best-dressed player on the circuit – always immaculately dressed from head to toe in fine suits. An homage to Charlie Watts perhaps?
With a music legend as a father, it would be easy for Lloyd Green to shy away from the stage, but with his beautiful bass playing – eloquent, lyrical, funky, and powerful, quite the opposite is true. He is the band’s secret weapon – crafting beautiful bass lines and performing them with an imposing, impressive stage presence that perfectly balances out Adam on the other side of Jamie.
A well-known veteran of the UK blues rock scene, guitarist Adam is the perfect foil to singer Jamie. The pair’s stage dynamic is electric, with Adam firing of live-wire solos you can sing along to, whilst his smooth tenor backing vocals blend perfectly with Jamie’s husky voice to create big harmonies in even bigger choruses.
And now, on “Spin the Bottle”, all the band’s talents come together to create their finest album yet. That’s a big statement, especially as their second album “Gold Top” hailed by many as a blues rock classic, and “Deliverance” reached the national Top 40 and got to number #9 on the UK Blues Chart. The band are confident that Spin The Bottle will eclipse the reputations of their previous three albums.
“This is a blues rock Thriller, or Rumours”, says Lloyd. “There’s no filler on here – the quality is there from the first note to the last. We felt we could have released any number of tracks as singles. It’s great to know that people will be humming along to every track, because the album is just full of hooks”.
The band’s philosophy is to deliver quality music, on stage and off, whilst letting people know you are having fun. That infectious attitude is all over “Spin the Bottle” from the big beats of first single “Go Go Baby”, to the bouncy groove and Elvis-inspired hooks of Fabulous. The band wears their influences on their sleeve, then rolls them up and gets on with delivering an album and live show that is somehow completely unique and unforgettable. “The best band we have ever had here” or “The most fun night we’ve had in ages” are becoming familiar end-of-the-night tributes at Milk Men gigs.
Why not “Spin the Bottle” yourself, and put some milk in your music? The best blues rock album of 2022 is on its way! Get ready for the Milk Men’s full-phat, gold-topped music delivered in style!
Tracklist:
1. Driving It (3.47)
2. Cheap Seats (3.48)
3. Go Go Baby (2.47)
4. Adelaide (4.43)
5. How Do You Think I Feel? (4.02)
6. Sing the Blues (4.31)
7. Gabba Gabba Hey (3.28)
8. Fabulous (3.51)
9. Highway Woman (3.57)
10. Bad Seed (3.08)
Credits:
All songs written by Jamie Smy & Adam Norsworthy
Except Tracks 7 & 10 written by Lloyd Green & David Coleman
Track 8 written by Lloyd Green
Recorded at Masterlink Studios, Surrey
Savannah Studios, Park Hall Studios, London
Recorded by James Welch
Produced by Adam Norsworthy & Wayne Proctor
Album Track by Track:
Driving It:
Rev the engine! Pure foot-down, top-back rock’n’roll and a perfect opener to the album. The band plays at 100 mph through killer riffs and hooks.
Cheap Seats:
An infectious rock song that grooves like a Stevie Wonder classic, one to sing while you are tapping your toe.
Go Go Baby:
Full of energy and fun, Go Go Baby builds and builds to a dynamic crescendo, with hooks a-plenty along the way.
Adelaide:
An acoustic epic that motors along on an enormous chorus, with an almost spiritual middle section. An instant classic!
How Do You Think I Feel?
The band’s ability to shift styles yet always sound like themselves is second to none. An insanely catchy indie rock song with an affecting lyric about losing your girl to your best mate.
Sing the Blues:
Harking back to the band’s blues beginnings, this is a sublime slice of original blues with a twist, with Adam’s clever guitar arrangements taking centre stage at the song’s climax.
Gabba Gabba Hey:
A brilliant earworm of a tribute to the Ramones. Sleazy, catchy, and full of fun.
Fabulous:
Is it Elvis? Is it ZZ Top? All the band’s influences blend in yet another earworm of a track. Lloyd’s intricate, tight bass work dives the song brilliantly.
Highway Woman:
A grinding Hendrix-like riff gives way to a trippy late-60s style rock number, featuring blistering guitar work from Adam.
Bad Seed:
The album closes with a dark rock epic with shades of Pink Floyd and Queen. A huge riff drives the song over a dark lyric and epic guitar solo.
UK Tour Dates 2022:
Saturday 18th June – Cambridge Rock Festival
Tuesday 28th June – Tuesday Night Music Club, Coulsdon
Saturday 23rd July – The Musician, Leicester
Sunday 24th July – The Cricketers, Southend-On-Sea
Sunday 21st August – Old Bush Blues Festival, Worcester
Saturday 10th September – SX Centre, Brentwood CM15 9NN
Thursday 15th September – Landmark Arts Centre, Teddington
Saturday 17th September at 6pm – Cider Festival, Brasenose Arms, Cropredy
Friday 7th October – Swanage Blues Festival
Saturday 22nd October – HRH Blues Festival, Liverpool Arts Centre , Liverpool
Friday 11th November – Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre, Lancashire
Saturday 12th November – Hallelujah Festival, Hartlepool
Sunday 13th November – The Flying Circus, Newark (afternoon show)
Thursday 8th December – Half Moon, Putney (w/ Dr. Feelgood)
Saturday 17th December – The Musician, Leicester (Supporting Dr. Feelgood)
Line-up:
Jamie Smy – Vocals
Adam Norsworthy – Guitars, Piano, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Lloyd Green – Bass Guitar
Mike Roberts – Drums
Additional Musicians
James Welch – Hammond organ
Weblinks:
www.themilkmenmusic.com
www.facebook.com/TheMilkMenBand
