Known for their mythic live reputation, Black Midi’s recent show at Somerset House in London was abound with all the theatrics and eclecticism their fans know them for.
Debuting their latest album, Hellfire, in official terms ahead of its release on the 15th, Wednesday’s show in the cooling air of central London was the kind that pleases the old fans, fascinates the new, and befuddles the lukewarm.
It was clear as they stormed through their ample set that Black Midi have a mind for consolidation as well as experimentation as they ever expand themselves into new musical territory such as jazz or brute-force electric rock. Most of all though, it was a cause for celebration and a birth of fire for their third album in an (almost) post-covid age of live music.
After a dragging and forgettable warm-up by support act Caroline, the tension finally cut by BM’s intro, bursting into ‘953’ – a track most fans remember well as their first disorienting encounter with the band – in white hot style. A romantic might compare the sound of the fans who greeted it to that made by people who have endured eons before encountering what they desire. Hellfire has been anticipated since before their sophomore release of 2021, Cavalcade. But of course Black Midi only kept us waiting a year, during which time numerous corners of the internet were home to live recordings of Hellfire’s cache made by BM’s devotees.
Like with so many Black Midi Gigs, one didn’t always know where to look. Geordie Greep holds court just off centre-stage, small in stature, big in ambition. Go left and you see Morgan Simpson, toned by his hours on the drums no doubt, smashing the life out in perfect rhythm. Go left and Cameron Picton, maybe the most angelic of the bunch, grooves with his bass, exchanging it for a guitar in newer tunes ‘Lumps’, ‘Still’ and ‘Eat Men Eat’. Further left and Seth Evans, on stage Simpson’s opposite number, is master of the keys, evidence of BM’s subtle growth into a band who easily contrast their noise rock with more cerebral motifs.
No doubt different fans would pick different points of the gig to claim as favourites. ‘Welcome to Hell’ and other widescreen sounding tunes like ‘John L’ and ‘Chondromalacia Patella’ are certainly memorable. In the grandiose setting of the venue though, ‘The Defence’ and ’27 Questions’ were where the energy most perfectly peaked before being wound down for Picton’s finale in ‘Slow’. If one song encapsulates the chaos of Hellfire it has to be ’27 Questions’, where Greep’s role as the eccentric showman is so colourfully on display.
The showmanship is also clear in BM’s eye for novelty. Voted on by fans beforehand in what was only one of many examples of the groups Twitter prowess, ‘Wuthering Heights’ was given a renewed tone of affliction by Greep’s croon. Kate Bush can certainly be relied upon to cement ties between young and old, something Black Midi can also be complemented for as one glance at those in attendance is a who’s who of post-punk cliches.
The explosion, and the true exposition of Black Midi’s real dexterity, came with more covers in quick succession. ‘Yonkers’ drew us in before ‘Killing In The Name’ forced a collective double-take as we realised this so perfectly performed piece wasn’t actually our beloved Black Midi – it might as well have been though; Picton owned it.
Encountering Hellfire for the first time, in a live show no doubt, isn’t a comfortable experience. Like its predecessors, it’s an album that must melt into the fans mind through numerous listens. There’s too much texture to get it in one. Black Midi’s live shows are similar. This was my third time seeing Black Midi and it was the best. The titans who made up the band may have vied with each other for stage presence but in the wide courtyard of Somerset House and with a crowd so obviously made up of the band’s acolytes there was no awkwardness or need to settle into their sound.
It’s cliché to say that a young band have some growing up to do but in the case of Black Midi, every effort should be made to stay young and daring. Their live shows are where they take their risks but more often than not, they are where those risks can pay off, much to their fans’ gratitude. I know no other band who could cover Kate Bush, Tyler the Creator or Rage Against the Machine in a single set, integrated amongst originals yet sounding so natural, almost in a single breath. I cannot wait to see more, but for now, I need time to digest Hellfire.
Words by Niall Hawkins
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