The Cockpit in Leeds boasts an air of intimacy and a dark and atmospheric underground vibe. The simplicity of the stage and its lack of ostentatious props allowed The Milk to shine and demonstrate their raw talent without having to hide behind an extravagant stage set.
Lead Vocalist and guitarist Ricky Nunn kicked the gig off with an introduction to the band, followed by an epic performance of ‘Broke up the Family’, the pulsation of which seemed to run through the walls of the venue.
Guitarists, Lee Gresley and Luke Ayling complemented the vocals with their in-sync tender production of a constant melody and bass, further heightened by Mitch Ayling’s construction of an impressive array of percussion. The band went on to perform some more recent favourites such as ‘Everyday is a Reminder’ and ‘Mr. Motivator’ to some of their bigger hits such as ‘All I Needed Was Danger’ and ‘B Roads’. ‘B Roads’ in particular saw the diverse audience go into some form of hypnotic trance, engaged in what appeared to be the most favoured song performance of the night.
Despite the diversity of the audience which consisted of teenagers, intimate couples and middle aged groups of men and women. There were copious amounts of humour incorporated into the music. At the beginning of ‘Picking up the Pieces’ everyone was made to ‘get low’, and made to stay on the ground until the beat picked up, which then saw the crowd leaping into the air almost incessantly for the remaining songs.
The Milk ended their set with an encore of their cover of ‘Galvanize’ by The Chemical Brothers, leaving the audience simultaneously satisfied and reluctant to leave after a short, yet constant sixty minutes of extraordinary talent.