Gig: Supermilk @ Two Palms, London
Supermilk by Schuyler Aldridge
On Sunday, December 8, Hackney’s vivid Two Palms music venue was resonating with indie-rock as Long Neck, ME REX and Supermilk took to the stage. The night mark’s Supermilk’s second performance since releasing their third album, High Precision Ghosts, earlier this year in August.
Long Neck
I arrived at the venue just in time to catch the first opener, Long Neck. As I entered Two Palms, I was immediately met with a cosy and dynamic scene. The room felt alive and flowing with vibrant colours thanks to the eye-catching art display from Hackney artist, Kelly Anna, which overlooked the main stage as a unique backdrop.
Long Neck, the music project of the New Jersey-based artist Lily Mastrodimos, opened the night with her set beginning with a selection of songs which were powerful. Her raw performance in combination with her witty humour - having the whole crowd laughing in between songs - made for a wonderful first act of the night. Midway through her set, the tone shifted into calmer and slower songs. Throughout her performance, Long Neck was constantly uplifting the crowd with her bright energy, and combined with the intimate venue, made for a wonderful set.
ME REX
The second act of the night, ME REX, a three-piece band from London, was a personal highlight. I’d been blown away by their outstanding performance earlier this year when they opened for Los Campesinos! in Brighton. Although this time, the performance was a solo set by Myles McCabe. Solo sets from bands typically deliver a rawer, quieter and sometimes acoustic vibe, which I was anticipating, but to my surprise, Myles skilfully built the instrumental layers of each track of his set live on stage. Listening to the songs come together layer by layer was extraordinary, especially the opening track “Jupiter Pluvius”. As each layer of the song was built, you could see the moment of realisation in the crowd as they started to recognise the song.
By the end of ME REX’s set, the audience had grown significantly with more and more people arriving. Myles delivered an absolutely amazing performance. With their next show in London recently announced for February, I’ll be sure to see ME REX again soon!
Supermilk
After the first two brilliant openers, the mood and energy were buzzing in the audience as the anticipation for Supermilk grew. I wasn’t standing around waiting for long before they came on and opened with “Many Thanks”, the high-energy first track of their latest album, High Precision Ghosts. The change from solo acts to a full-band performance was intense, being able to physically feel the bass and drums. From headbanging to uninhibited dancing, the crowd was absolutely loving Supermilk. The band’s humour also stood out as a memorable element throughout the set - between every single song they shared funny stories or comedic bits. It made for a really enjoyable experience, as it let us feel more connected to the band as individual people. My personal highlight from their set was “Words of Affirmation”, with its raw and driving energy, culminating in a powerful guitar solo near the end. They wrapped up the night with “Cease To Exist”, a song from their 2021 album entitled Four by Three, leaving the crowd satisfied and exhausted.
The evening at Two Palms was a fantastic experience. Witnessing the intimate solo sets from Long Neck and Myles of ME REX was special, as solo sets provide a deeper focus on an artist’s skills and performance. Supermilk’s high-energy performance stomped the night into overdrive, which was the perfect contrast to the opening acts. And finally, the humour from both Long Neck and Supermilk really added to the night - it felt good to hear the audience laugh and connect with the artists.
