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Archive for the ‘Black Midi’ Category

Geordie Greep / NNAMDÏ (First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA, January 14, 2025) AND (Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA, January 16 & 17, 2025) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Black Midi, First Unitarian Church, Geordie Greep, Johnny Brenda's, NNAMDÏ, Philadelphia, PA on January 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 14, 16 & 17, 2025] Geordie Greep / NNAMDÏ

Geordie Greep is one of the vocalists in Black Midi.  He’s a fascinating dude with a fascinating voice.  When I saw that he was doing a solo tour, I was really intrigued.

But when I went to the Johnny Brenda’s site, both night were long sold out.

Sometime later he added another date, but this one was at the Church, so I knew I wouldn’t be going to the show.

I’m not too heartbroken about it, but it would have been interesting to be sure

i saw NNAMDÏ open for Wilco four years ago and I loved their set.  I wrote

I felt like he was digging into prog-rock territory and yet I guess it would be more accurately labelled as jazz with rapid time changes, incredibly fast parts and wicked jamming.   And yet the roots of most of his songs were a kind of pop/R&B vibe.

This is a solid double bill, with three shows I couldn’t make.

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Black Country, New Road / Camera Picture (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, April 25, 2024) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Black Country New Roads, Black Midi, Camera Picture, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on April 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: April 25, 2024] Black Country, New Road / Camera Picture

I was vaguely intrigued when Black Country, New Road first came out (NPR music loved them).  I mean this blurb from 2021 was amazing sounding

the new band I’m most excited to see when they come back is a group of U.K. art-school kids called Black Country, New Road. Their 2019 single “Sunglasses” is a 10-minute swirl of post-punk, jazz, long blurted spoken-word passages and frenzied klezmer freak-outs. It’s a wild song, and it must be incredible to take in live.

And then, maybe I was getting ready to g to a U.S. show at Johnny Brenda’s, when

On 31 January 2022, lead vocalist and guitarist Isaac Wood announced his sudden departure from the band four days before the release of Ants From Up There via the band’s Instagram, citing struggles with his mental health. This resulted in the cancelling of the band’s planned first US tour.

(more…)

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Black Midi (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 8, 2023)

Posted in Black Midi, Cold Court, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 8,  2023] Black Midi

So who the hell is Black Midi?  I’m not sure.  I wanted to see them because I’d heard their live show was great.  Although, I’m not sure where I heard that from.

I assumed NPR music, but they don’t really talk about Black Midi all that much.  So it must have been from elsewhere.

I watched a live video online and the show was insane–lots of slam dancing, lots of amazing musicianship.

The main trio is Geordie Greep – lead vocals, guitar; Cameron Picton – lead vocals, bass, guitar and Morgan Simpson – drums.  At our show there was a fourth member. and I’m not sure who he was.  He played bass the whole night and may have played piano for one song (although I couldn’t see him, but SOMEONE was playing).

Black Midi plays a kind of free jazz with a spoken lyric vocalist (Greep) who sounds like he’s an over-the-top crooner/stage actor from the 1950s.  Picton wore a button down shirt and tie and Greep was wearing business casual.

And they inspire some of the most intense mosh pits I’ve seen.

I don’t know how much (if any) of the music is improvised, but the scripted musical parts are intense and fast with incredible guitar playing that would fit right in with King Crimson.  Oh, and a very healthy splash of Primus.

The music is intense and so very specific, yet it is also quite a lot of fun.  The band apparently often plays ludicrous covers, but for this show it was all originals.  And that was fine. (more…)

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Cold Court (Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, June 8, 2023) [BLACK MIDI]

Posted in Black Midi, Cold Court, Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer on June 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: June 8,  2023] Cold Court

Cold Court is from Philadelphia.

That’s about all I can find out about them.

They have an Instagram page but there’s not much on it.  And any searches reveal pretty much that they opened for Black Midi and very little else.

According to the video below (live at the Lawn Jawn), this is the lineup of the band about two weeks before the Black Midi show:

Mini Serrano (Guitar, Vocals), Josyah Lavina-Maldonado (Guitar, Vocals), Theo Shuttleworth (Bass), Jett Mann (Drums), Charlie Westlake (Saxophone, Synth), Alex Ramirez (Viola), and Joe Kuck (Percussion). (more…)

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