To celebrate the occasion, the band have recorded a stripped-back acoustic cover of Shania Twain’s classic You’re Still the One, a song that frontwoman Gill Montgomery says holds personal significance, saying of the album’s recording process: “It had been a pretty taxing weekend… or year, really. The line ‘looks like we made it’ just kept popping up over the years. We’d been singing it so much along the way that it really felt part of our journey.”

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The band’s journey began in 2019, a product of long-standing rock connections forged through former projects. Montgomery and drummer Josie O’Toole, previously of The Amorettes and Tequila Mockingbyrd respectively, initially joined forces to cover tour commitments for their old bands. By 2021, bassist Lzi Hayes joined from her day job as an estate manager at the V&A, and The Hot Damn! was born. ““I think we both had moments where we were like: ‘Can I really be fucked starting again?” Hazed said to Louder Sound, adding: “In a way Covid did us a favour, because it gave us a bit of time to take stock, and miss it, and be like: ‘Yeah, we do want to do this.'”

The band opted to forge their own path with a fresh, neon-saturated aesthetic, trading black attire for tie-dye hues, glitter, and party props. The concept paid off, capturing attention before they’d even released a single. O’Toole saying in Louder Sound, “It’s about making the biggest impression you possibly can. We’re on a shoestring budget, but if we get some party canons from Asda and launch them at the end of the show, it still works. It’s fun, and it’s us.”

Having partnered with Echelon Talent Agency earlier this year, The Hot Damn! have designed their upcoming shows to reflect their “mission to make rock fun again.” While their vision of confetti, glitter curtains, and beach balls seemed ambitious, fans have quickly gravitated toward their light-hearted take on live music.

Montgomery, whose day job includes managing a funeral home in South East London, brings an unconventional perspective to her role in the band. “It’s interesting,” she says. “You’re either for it or you’re not.” But when it comes to performing, she takes inspiration from rock legends who’ve built legacies on charisma, not perfection. “I look at people like Iggy Pop or Alex Harvey. They make it interesting and fun.  I never wanted to be an Adele. I just wanted to be different, be… not boring If you’re boring, you’re fucked.”

The Hot Damn! have already made their mark on the airwaves, enjoying A-list radio rotation on Planet Rock, BBC 6 Music, and Germany’s Star FM and Radio BOB!. The band’s debut has also met acclaim, being described by Rockfield as “not only a feel-good instant cure for S.A.D but the spontaneous dancing and prancing around the room it inspires will also get the blood pumping on a cold autumn night.” Now, following their international debut in Germany earlier this year, Dancing on the Milky Way paves the way for The Hot Damn! to share their rose-hued bubblegum brand of rock with audiences across the UK.

Speaking on the new single, Carter explained, “We talk about how rock and roll will never die, but we never really talk about how maybe the idea of the rock star should die. The whole concept and what it means has always been this glamorised moment, but ultimately when I put that suit on, it didn’t go very well for me. I’m just witnessing the world change so quickly and I’m still trying to come to terms with who I am and what the authentic version of me is. By giving people what I thought they wanted I think I got further and further away from who I actually am.”

Guitarist Dean Richardson further shed some light on the new album, saying, “Normally we don’t look backwards when making a record, but this has been looking to reach us for a long time. Some songs are old ideas reworked, fresh eyes on something that didn’t quite fit on their other records. Some of these songs were lost along the way because basically we didn’t really give them the space.”

Emerging from the ashes of Carter’s split with hardcore band Gallows in 2015, Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes found mainstream success with their fun, often politically and socially charged mixture of hardcore punk and pop that characterises their sound. A highly charismatic and high energy frontman, Carter tempers his hard-hitting image and sound with a pledge to offer fans a safe environment at their shows, often encouraging equality and inclusivity.

Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes will be heading out on an international tour with a UK and European leg set to kick off in February. Dark Rainbow is due for release on 26 January. Pre-order the album here. Purchase tickets to the tour here.

Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes Tour:

06/02/2024 – The Great Hall – Cardiff
07/02 – O2 Academy – Bristol
09/02 – Academy – Manchester
10/02 – Northumbria Uni Student’s Union – Newcastle
11/02 – Barrowland – Glasgow
13/02 – O2 Academy – Leeds
14/02 – Wulfrun Hall – Wolverhampton
15/02 – Roundhouse – London
16/02 – Roundhouse – London
22/02 – Metropole – Berlin, Germany
23/02 – Live Music Hall – Cologne, Germany
24/02 – Bataclan – Paris, France
26/02 – AB Main Hall – Brussels, Belgium
27/02 – Poppodium – Tilberg, Netherlands

i suck at grieving is out and it feels WEIRD WEIRD weird i hope that anyone that needs it, finds comfort in the fact that it’s impossible to NOT suck at grieving: https://t.co/wfmV3hROK6 pic.twitter.com/p0AtAdqRLV

— Lauran Hibberd (@lauranhibberd) September 21, 2023

The song marks the first new music to come from the power pop artist since the release of her last single “Honda Civic” and her debut album Garageband Superstar. The singer stated that the song is for people who do not know how to interpret their emotions or who are reluctant to begin the grieving process.

Hibberd’s father sadly passed away in 2022 and she said of the song, “I guess eventually you run out of stuff to laugh about, and have to look life or in this case death straight in the eye. I lost my dad last year, and I changed in an instant but forever.”

The singer added, “I found everyone’s advice on grief painful and inappropriate, and I couldn’t work out why I couldn’t grieve like the internet told me to. This track feels like an extension of me, and I know it’s not my usual tricks but it feels more me than anything I’ve ever made before. This is a song for people who don’t want to grieve, for people who don’t know where to start, and for people who don’t know how it ends.”

It has been a steady rise for the young pop singer, who certainly seems like she has all of the key ingredients to cement her place as a pop icon in years to come. Hibberd began playing guitar at the age of 14 and started writing her own songs shortly thereafter. After releasing a string of singles and a few EPs, Hibberd finally dropped her debut album Garageband Superstar last year to mostly favourable reviews.

Known for her witty lyrics, slacker punk attitude and sonic signature, Hibberd has never been one to shy away from the more heavy subject matter, although the singer maintains her light-hearted positivity throughout. With “I Suck At Grieving,” Hibberd is venturing into what is perhaps uncharted waters for the singer, as she attempts to where her emotions on her sleeve. The song will no doubt touch upon a tender chord for her growing fanbase around the world.

Hibberd recently wrapped up a UK tour in support of US alternative rock band, All Time Low and is about to rejoin the band for their North American and Australian tours with Payday Parade and Gym Class Heroes.