Milk White White Teeth

It's not every day that you come across an octet of multi-instrumentalists from Yorkshire (or there abouts), never mind fall in love with them. So imagine my gleeful surprise when I stumbled upon Milk White White Teeth.

An ensemble that just ooze charm, MWWT's vocal harmonies matched with their unconventional approach to songwriting just gives me shivers at times and with the sheer volume of instruments and voices at hand, the possibilities are endless.

They're pretty much seem like a bunch of friends doing what they love and having fun, something that's definitely reflected in their sound, it's practically infectious.

In their own words, "Jon met Barrie, Barrie met Jon, Jon met Gilly & James, though they had previously met. Barrie met Michelle, Michelle met Barrie, Alistair was around so he joined in. Polly blew some notes on her own, then Alex kept her company conveniently they all get together now and then, occasionally they play music."

Their recent performances at Leeds & Reading have been heaped with praise and they'll be playing in Leeds this very evening at Nation Of Shopkeepers and at Brudenell Social Club on 13th October. However, I'm looking forward to seeing them at the haven that is Bungalows & Bears in Sheffield on 7th November. - Illegal Tender

Milk White White teeth are a fabulous prospect. As far as I can see there are eight people on stage, including two cornet players and enough other instruments for a small music college. It's a lot, anyway. The best of such numbers is that at any one time there are eight voices on call, for some very uplifting moments of well-made harmony.

The principal voices and players in Milk White White Teeth are excellent and the songs are solid gold.

The offer of a free demo at the end causes a pleasantly wild grab fest down at the barrier, and people go scurrying to get more. "Train Attendants" is such a good song, and its mesmerising chorus has a joyous bouncy tune that uses all that the band do best, while pasting massive smiles on every available face. "Brick Don't Burn" is joy to hear and "The Prize Fighter" (also on that demo) has a sad ukulele lament of romantic tragi-comedy - with beautiful harmony singing, of course.

As a Festival treat, Milk White White teeth have exceeded all expectations. They were one of my personal Festival highlights. - Leeds Music Scene

After this was our first trip over to the BBC Introducing stage for local new-comers Milk White White Teeth. I found them to be 8 refreshingly happy 20-26 year olds enjoying playing fun music which is a mixture of classic harmony’s, Caribbean, African, modern alternative and many more. All of the crowd’s attention was grabbed by singer and guitar player, Michelle’s smile which lasted throughout. Instruments being swapped frequently meant there was no risk of boredom here. I was hooked. I wanted to grab a few questions from the band so we headed off round the back of the stage, I managed to speak to the Stage Manager who very kindly let us in. I asked Jon and Gilly from the band for a quick chin wag and they agreed! I found, through a few questions, but to no surprise, that the band are a group of friends who like varying music styles with Gilly describing their genre as “Messy dancy shit thing”. Some meeting from age 14 in Rippon, North Yorkshire and later friends from uni completed the band. Nowadays they all have jobs, which range from bar and supermarket work to a nurse in a Leeds Hospital. I asked Jon if they had performed at many other festivals. He stated they had only played at Moorfest a local Skipton Festival then Reading and Leeds this weekend with the Leeds audience being the biggest they had seen. Jon also stated they have around an hour and a half of music. With no record deal or tour in the bag the band gave out 3 track cd’s at the end of the gig with Jon telling me he had already given one to Radiohead guitarist, Ed O’Brien, the night before and thinks he may have spotted him in the crowd during their own set.

The lads were lovely. I said my thanks, took a couple of pictures and walked away still feeling happy from their performance and knowing I would definitely watch them again given the opportunity. There aren’t many bands who can seamlessly cram 11 instruments + drums into 25 minutes. - Skiddle

One band who hopefully won't be subject to such grotesque manifestation are Leeds' octet Milk White White Teeth, one of the few decent acts on BBC's introducing stage this weekend. They're a collection of sickeningly talented musicians in fields as varied as cornet and mandolin, melodica and synth, and they harness heavenly harmonies and tracks which offer uncharted adventures, rarely subsiding before the 7 minute mark. Pesky kids. Comparisons to the Arcade Fire would be lazy, however if they'd recorded Neon Bible in, say, Bermuda, you'd get an impression as to what to expect here. I'm instantly smitten with Jon's guitar and choral voice, which is interestingly an octave or so higher than female vocalist Michelle, and the dynamics and variation on stage are a literal cause for celebration. They beam with delight before, during, and after each delivery - visibly pleased to be playing; not necessarily because they're playing here, more that they're playing now. There's an unmittigating sense of rejoice in their music, definitely worth a listen. - God Is In The TV