The Best of 2016: Milk Teeth

The road to ‘Vile Child' was an uphill struggle. People left, doubts were had, but Milk Teeth never said die. "It's been the craziest year to date,” grins Becky Blomfield, coffee in hand and looking back over the past twelve months. “It’s been nice to see lots of the world, see lots of people, and have an actual album out. It feels like we’ve been waiting for it for so long, so it was cool to have a solid set and be stoked to go out and play new music. It’s still such a baby band, but it’s grown massively." Back in January, Milk Teeth were preparing for a European tour with Tonight Alive, and they all shared a feeling of "we don't know what the fuck we're doing." Now they're at the tail end of the year, about to head out on a European tour with Against Me! and "it feels like the right thing. I wouldn't say it's been plain sailing, it’s been great to have the opportunities that we've had, but there are times where we've wanted to kill each other because we were on tour for five months straight." Surviving the tour, the band are now an even stronger unit. "I've seen Chris, Oli and Billy more this year than I've seen my family," laughs Becky, but the group, missing each other when they're not on tour, are like a family all of their own. "You learn to appreciate the people you're around. We were thrust into this like, ‘Okay, you're now legit doing this’. It was a hell of a lot to take in. There was an adjustment period, but we now know it's what we want to do.” No doubts. “I’ve been blown away by how many people have connected to certain songs,” admits Becky. “Even though we don't play ‘Driveway Birthday' live that much, a lot of people have said that it's their song and they can relate to it so much. ‘Cause it was such a personal song to me, that definitely pulls at your heartstrings. I think what kids like about us is we wear our heart on our sleeves. They can relate to us ‘cause there’s no bullshit. Since ‘Kabuki’ and the headline tour, so many kids have come up to me after shows and spoken to me about mental health. You do want people to see it as less of a taboo. If I can publicly expose my more human side, then maybe that might help some other people feel more comfortable.”

"It's been the craziest year."

The past year has taught Becky that “this has a purpose bigger than just me selfishly writing songs to deal with my shit. I think that's made me grow up quite a lot. Not to sound like a dick, but it is very humbling. It is nice to talk to people through music; you've got that instant connection. You get to know strangers, and they become your friends, which shows what music can do." "It's just encouraging people to have a voice. Our generation has been so downtrodden, and that's half the reason people don't vote because they feel like, well, what can I do? I want people to be like what CAN I do. I don't want us to be seen as that band where the other stuff takes away from the music; I just want to use the music as a platform. We talk about it ‘cause we care about it, and we're in a position where people may pay attention to what we're saying. We're just trying to encourage people to be accepting of everyone." "To think that people have been sat at home listening to our record is so strange because to me, that's just what I do with other bands,” she laughs. “I’ll buy whoever's CD and listen to that in my room. You don't think of that happening to you. It's a weird concept, but amazing. I try not to think about it though because it might drive me a little crazy.” As well as connecting to strangers, Milk Teeth have played shows with some of their favourite ever bands this year. It's situations like that where they "feel super lucky. I'm never complacent about that. I'm always trying to level down my excitement, so I don't look like a complete nerd. I've still got the excitement." That excitement carries over to new material. Album number two is written, and the band are "in the process of making changes and trying to get them to be the best songs they can be.” The relentless tour schedule has influenced the new record in part "but because touring is something a small number of people get to do, I've tried to broaden it. I don't want to isolate anyone. There's a lot of personal stuff on there, I've had relationships start, and I've come out of relationships while I've been on tour," so there are songs inspired by that. There's a full-on love song, capturing that ultimate gooey phase and the whole thing still feels "like a diary." “We always want to be better. We'll watch other bands, and we'll ask, what are we missing, what is not in our live show, what can we do to improve this and we're constantly thinking about the next step. That's so important. Nothing's ever good enough. Not in an ignorant way, we appreciate everything, but once you've reached a level, you should be shooting for the next. That work ethic keeps us ticking along. As soon as you think you're the best band on the planet, you've fucked it."