by Marc Fong
Black MIDI is pure genius. Or, alternatively, the UK band is just crazy. But if it is the latter, at least it’s an organized crazy. The sort of crazy that is so organized and unique that it might as well be genius.
Admittedly, Black MIDI was a tough pill for me to swallow. It’s brash and loud while also being poignant and deep. And that dichotomy makes Black MIDI’s music hard to nail down. How do we classify Black MIDI? Prog Rock? Experimental Rock? Punk? Something Something Fusion? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Turns out, it doesn’t matter what you call it. The truth is, it’s good. It’s complicated. It has highs and lows. It’s aggressive and sensitive. And, again, it’s good. Damn good, in fact.
Which brings us to their show at The Warfield Theatre in San Francisco. I didn’t bring any expectations to the show, but, by god, I was still surprised. And I really shouldn’t have been. Just like their music, the band members were at once rowdy and stoic. Manic and pensive. Fun-loving and direly serious. And, just like music, it was crazy genius.
They sounded great live which was a concern going in to the show knowing the band’s proclivities for complicatedly layered songs. It was hard to believe that the band would be able to pull off the proficiency of their production yet they most certainly did. It was uncanny how great they sounded. It’s always a pleasure to witness the handiwork of true musicians and no one was disappointed that night.
See some snaps from the show!
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