Black Midi

This article is about the band. For the musical genre, see Black MIDI.

Black Midi
Black Midi performing at Wide Awake Festival 2021.
Black Midi performing at Wide Awake Festival 2021.
Background information
OriginLondon, England, UK
Genres
Years active2017 (2017)–2024 (indefinite hiatus)
Labels
Members
Past membersMatt Kwasniewski-Kelvin
Websitebmblackmidi.com

Black Midi (stylized as black midi) are an English rock band from London, formed in 2017. Their most recent line-up consisted of lead vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Geordie Greep and Cameron Picton, along with drummer Morgan Simpson. Between 2017 and 2020, the band also included guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin. Following his departure, the trio were frequently joined by multi-instrumentalist Seth Evans and saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi, both as session musicians and during live performances. Their name is derived from the Japanese electronic music genre black MIDI, though their own music has no relation to it, instead incorporating styles such as math rock, progressive rock, post-punk, and avant-jazz.[1]

The band began on producer Dan Carey's record label Speedy Wunderground, through which they released their debut single, "bmbmbm", in 2018. They released their debut studio album, Schlagenheim, produced by Carey, on 21 June 2019, through Rough Trade Records. It received critical acclaim,[2] entered the top 50 of the UK Albums Chart, and was nominated for the 2019 Mercury Prize. An anthology album including several recorded jams and spoken-word tracks, The Black Midi Anthology Vol. 1: Tales of Suspense and Revenge, was released on 5 June 2020 exclusively to Bandcamp. In January 2021, founding member Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin went on hiatus from the group for health reasons. The band's second studio album, Cavalcade, was released on 26 May 2021. Their third studio album, Hellfire, was released on 15 July 2022.[3] The band entered an indefinite hiatus in August 2024, with each member focusing on solo work.[4]

  1. ^ Bekki, Bemrose. "Black Midi Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Schlagenheim by Black Midi Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Black Midi Announce New Album Hellfire and Tour, Share Song". Pitchfork. 9 May 2022.
  4. ^ Monroe, Jazz; Strauss, Matthew (12 August 2024). "Black Midi Go on Hiatus as Geordie Greep Says Band Is "Indefinitely Over"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 August 2024.