In today’s A-Z challenge, we wanted to find out more about Fightmilk.
The power poppers took us on a deep dive about all things Fightmilk by taking on our 26 questions!
A song that made you want to make music?
We’ll probably all have different answers here… for me (Lily), it was probably Time for Heroes by The Libertines, which came out when I was 11. A couple of years later my little year 8 band learned it and played it in assembly, and got rinsed by the whole year group for months afterwards. It was the first music I’d heard that sounded really scruffy and like I could have a punt at it – that got compounded when I saw them live for the first time and they were the absolute opposite of glitzy clean-cut popstars. It felt very thrown together and doable which is what I love about the DIY scene now.
Best rider you’ve had?
We’ve all got a soft spot for hummus and warm beer, but in our whopping, heaving touring experience of playing in three (3) internationally recognised countries, German hospitality simply cannot be matched. Glaswegian hospitality comes a close second, though. Honest.
Craziest moment you’ve had in the band?
Crowdsurfing in a tiny Norwegian village. Should stress this was during a show.
Deepest lyric one of your songs features?
“Legs so good I reach for my inhaler.” It’s about fancying someone so much it gives you an asthma attack.
Easiest song you wrote?
It’s probably 30, the last song on No Souvenirs. 4 chords, smooth brains, can’t lose.
Favourite song in your set?
Canines! We like forcing people to name dogs on the spot. (Spot, there’s one.) It’s where Alex gets to play guitar behind his head while Lily and Healey do the running man.
Guest you’d most like to feature on your record?
Dracula. Actually no, Lil Jon. I just want him to shout YEAH and WHAT before each verse.
Hardest thing about being in a band?
Keeping it a secret from co-workers. Then, when they find out, talking about your band to co-workers.
Interesting fact about one of your members?
Nick once met Timmy Mallett. Lily was a Christmas elf at Westfield. Healey was a zombie at Tulleys. There’s literally nothing interesting to tell you about Alex.
Jokes you have in the band?
We’re a non-stop fucking joke machine and it’s awful.
Key to writing a song?
Steal the chords to a song you like and just put it in a different key. Usually G major. When you’re writing lyrics, don’t go for the obvious rhyme. If you’re writing about someone, give them a little easter egg so they might hear it and think it’s about them, but vague enough that you can deny everything.
Longest distance you’ve travelled to play a show?
We were privileged enough to be asked to headline Indiefjord a couple of years back. The festival is in a little village called Bjorke (no relation). Getting there involved a flight, a bus and a boat and took about 12 hours. It was amazing.
Most inspiring musician you’ve experienced?
Every time I see Jemma Freeman and the Cosmic Something play live I wonder why I bother.
New band you’d recommend?
There are so many!! Lots of amazing bands we know have been going for years but not enough people know about them. We’d recommend Slash Fiction, Brutalligators, Supermilk, Schande, Panic Pocket, Slime City, Tugboat Captain, Adults, Problem Patterns, and hundreds more.
Opening for this band would be ideal?
We’re always waiting for the call from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. We could have so much fun in the backstage area, with Alex and Little Stevie having a riff-off while Bruce and I do each other’s nails and talk about how much work sucks. We thought our cover of Darkness on the Edge of Town might do it, but maybe we offended him. Either way, we’re ready and available, Bruce.
Place you’d most like to tour?
Brazil, purely so we can make good on the promise to come to Brazil.
Quote you’d like to pass on to our readers?
“Have a good gig, OK?”
Reason for the title of your recent/forthcoming release?
It’s an album largely about death – whether it’s an actual death, the end of a relationship, the scorched earth of an old life – and you can’t take anything with you when you go. Despite that, we hang onto little keepsakes and souvenirs long after their meaning has worn off. No Souvenirs is a mantra to keep moving forward.
See us live at?
The Castle Hotel, Manchester (Friday 29 November)
Strongroom, London (Saturday 1 February 2025)
Boom, Leeds (Saturday 8th February 2025)
Firebug, Leicester (Sunday 2nd March 2025)
The old days of music were better than the current, do you agree?
Hell no. Gone are the days of pale stale males, and good riddance. Spotify and the lack of funding for grassroots venues are having a good go at destroying any incentive to be a musician though. Even in the relatively short time we’ve been a band, the touring landscape has changed so much and it’s so, so much harder now.
Unusual merchandise?
The Slime City radiator key is hard to beat, but I’ve also got a set of Japanese Breakfast chopsticks, which do come in more useful. We should probably make like Half Man Half Biscuit and write a song that forces us to make merch from it. Album four, we’ll find our Joy Division oven gloves.
Variations you’d like to do on any of your songs?
When Lily sent us her first demo for ‘No Souvenirs’, she imagined it having a CHVRCHES vibe. One day, we’ll remix it (working title: ‘NO SOVVENIRS’) so she can achieve that dream.
What do your fans mean to you?
We love our fans, and we especially love the fans that came to see us instead of Jimmy Eat World, who were playing less than an hour away the same night as our album launch show. You’re the real ones.
X-rays or any treatments needed for band related injuries?
Sometimes our backs hurt because we’re old. Otherwise, no – but Lily’s the most accident-prone member of the band, having torn her ACL (kickboxing), broken her wrist (rollerskating), and given herself a retinal abrasion (poking herself in the eye).
You’re late for a show, whose fault is it?
Greg’s. Fuck Greg.
Zoo animal that best describes the personality of your band?
Giant tortoise. Slow, but large.