The Milk Men's new single Gabba Gabba Hey

The Milk Men's new single Gabba Gabba Hey will be released on Friday September 9th. One of the most talked-about bands on the UK's live circuit, the single is taken from their much-anticipated fourth album, Spin The Bottle, released September 9th.

Stream/download the Gabba Gabba Hey single via https://themilkmen.hearnow.com/gabba-gabba-hey.

The new album is available on CD and vinyl from www.themilkmenmusic.com/uk-merchandise.html, and digitally from https://themilkmen.hearnow.com/spin-the-bottle-2.

Gabba Gabba Hey is the third single from Spin The Bottle, following the release of the previous two singles Cheap Seats and Go Go Baby."As a teenager I had started getting into punk music, predominantly The Sex Pistols and The Clash,” says Lloyd Green, The Milk Men’s bass guitarist and writer of Gabba Gabba Hey. “I taught myself bass by playing along to Never Mind The Bollocks. I loved the energy and that at its essence it was still rock n roll. It wasn’t until several years later that I discovered the Ramones.”

Continues Lloyd, “I was watching an old clip from Old Grey Whistle Test of the Ramones performing Rock n Roll High School. I thought it was coolest thing I had ever seen or heard. The stance of Joey, the 1-2-3-4 count from Dee Dee, the frantic downstrokes of Johnny - the denim, the leather jackets, the hair. I needed to find out more. I started listening to albums and watched clips and fell in love with them even more.”

 

“One of my favourite songs of theirs is Pinhead and at the end they always use to bring on a sign saying Gabba Gabba Hey - it was kind of their calling chant. Sadly, all the original members have now passed away and I never got a chance to see them so the next best thing was to write a song honouring them - with reference to their early CBGB days and I couldn’t resist using their calling chant of Gabba Gabba Hey as the title. Whilst the lyrics are a tribute to them, musically the song is more glam rock / early Bowie than punk, but it works, and we play it loud enough so they can all hear it up there.”

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 Studios in 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 many bands together over the years, 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! 

 

TRACK LIST

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)

PRODUCTION 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

LINE-UP

Jamie Smy – Lead & backing vocals
Adam Norsworthy – Guitars, Piano, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Lloyd Green – Bass Guitar
Mike Roberts - Drums