black midi, Wash
UW Memorial Union-Terrace 800 Langdon St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
Dan Kendall
black midi
Once upon a time, before the advent of social media, bands were able to be mysterious. Now in an era where you can easily find out what your favorite artist had for breakfast, black midi is an oddity. The English post-punk outfit hasn’t done a ton of press, instead letting its nuclear blast of experimental noise and punk rock speak for itself. And it speaks loudly. Their acclaimed debut, Schlagenheim, was released in June. With Wash.
press release: "Almost every song Black Midi performs unfolds in surprising ways, one riff quickly switching to another, one mellow passage blooming into caustic screams and dissonant guitars, songs constantly collapsing in on themselves and being born again." - Stereogum, “Band To Watch”
"Black Midi are less interested in proving themselves the future of indie rock than in imagining indie rock from the future" - Pitchfork
“They were one of the most talked about groups at SXSW this year, and for good reason—Black Midi laid waste to every stage they stepped onto and damn near burned the city to the ground.”
- Paste, “The 20 Best Acts We Saw at SXSW 2019”
“[black midi]’s twisted, slow-burn arrangements, noisy spasms of guitar and panicked vocals conjured visions straight out of a horror movie…”
- Chicago Tribune, “12 best up-and-coming bands and artists at SXSW”
June 21 saw the release of London-based black midi’s debut album, Schlagenheim via Rough Trade. The band presents the video for new single, “Ducter,” following previously released songs “Talking Heads” and “Crow’s Perch.” “Ducter” is a blistering force, beginning with tempered percussion before bursting with noisy guitar and Geordie Greep’s strangulated vocals. Directed by Anthrox Studio, ex-Rockstar Games visual artists primarily responsible for developing the iconic illustrations associated with world-class game titles such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V, the video evokes a strong sense of surrealism, using dreamlike imagery via 3D landscapes to conjure an uncanny feeling of a world that exists only for its own sake, all brought to life by Emmy Award winning animator Isam Prado.
"Ducter" by black midi
“After meeting with the band and discussing some broad concepts they had in mind, we could immediately tell this would be a dream project,” said Anthony Macbain and Roxie Vizcarra of Anthrox Studio. “Using a few of the bands’ influences as a springboard, we were given total creative freedom with which to make something we believed both complemented the band’s aesthetic and told the story we wanted to tell. From the very beginning, everything seemed to come together organically, and the result is something we feel is enigmatic and unique.”
Over the past many months, black midi - Geordie Greep (vocals/guitar), Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (vocals/guitar), Cameron Picton (vocals/bass), and Morgan Simpson (drums) - have built a reputation for their dynamic, collaborative energy and uncompromising live shows. Their songs are slippery creatures and they play them as a musical unit that’s constantly in a state of flux and development. Schlagenheim, “A rousing debut that constantly eschews genre conventions” (Uncut), was recorded with Speedy Wunderground producer Dan Carey. Guided by Carey’s no-nonsense approach, the band hunkered down at Mr. Dan’s studio in London, tracking the bulk of the album in just five days.