More about: black midi

black midi are a band who’ve faced a deluge of praise and critique in equal measure over the years. Either profusely praised for their idiosyncratic eye for detail, or just straight up slammed, it’s fair to say press towards them has always been a mixed bag. 

Friday 15 July saw them release their well-anticipated third studio album Hellfire, and so far, they've received a heap of well-deserved praise. To me, black midi are band that always seem to get it right. With an army of up-and-coming projects taking large interest and influence from their musical style and techniques, I think it’s pretty obvious just how much of an important asset they are to the niche scene of progressive rock. 

We caught up with the band the day of their set at Positivus Festival, which coincidentally also saw the release date of Hell Fire. Speaking about the new album, classified information, and Glee…check out our chat below. 

Gigwise: How do you guys feel about being in Riga today?

Morgan Simpson: Very cool, it’s obviously a bit strange knowing the record's out today and not being at home to celebrate in style. But we played our biggest London show a few days ago in Somerset House. But that’s the great thing about what we do: the fact we’re just in Latvia right now is cool.

GW: Yeah, of course, and how do you feel about playing to this audience today, what are you expecting?

Cameron Picton: We’ve been to a quite few places, particularly eastern Europe recently: we’ve done like five or six countries, and each crowd has been pretty crazy and up for it, which is pretty good. It’s surprising sometimes to see the size of the crowd we get.

It’s just been a bit of a nightmare travel wise, because a lot of these countries have a lot of tourism, so we’ve had a bit of a nightmare with flight cancellations etc. It hasn’t been the easiest stretch, but the gigs themselves have all been great. 

GW: When did you guys get to Latvia?

CP: Yesterday afternoon, but we didn’t really sleep after our Somerset House gig as we had an early flight. We went to our hotel in the airport, slept for one hour and then checked in here. 

GW: How did it feel to play that Somerset House show? It felt like a really theatrical experience, I absolutely loved it!

Geordie Greep: The thing is, because it’s outside, it didn’t feel that different from playing a festival. With playing festivals you’re looking at around 10,000 people. After around one to two thousand it all looks kind of the same. Because it was outside, it looked like that: I think if it was inside, it would’ve looked way bigger. But it was really amazing, to know that everyone was there to specifically see us. 

GW: You threw in a couple of covers into that show, like Odd Future, Kate Bush, SOAD...what musical influences did you take into consideration with your new album Hellfire?

MS: Interesting

GG: 'Wuthering Heights'…

MS: I don’t know if it’s an influence, but I know when we were writing and recording I was listening to all of Stevie Wonder's discography. I was like: damn, you know the hits, and the big albums, but there’s just so much more to check out, so I was listening to Stevie for around three months straight. 

GG: When we did the album, on the way back into the studio (because it was a 40-minute train ride), everyday we’d sort of listen to a different album there and back. A couple of which were Donald Fagen, The Nightfly, or Violin Concerto, The Memory of an Angel.

CP: On our way to and from, I was listening to lots of Pet Shop Boys, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, just stuff like that. 

GW: Nice, sounds like an eclectic mix. And so, talking a bit more about the album, I did want to ask a really gen-Z question that is: was this album title inspired by Stranger Things?

GG: No actually, that was just a really specific coincidence.

CP: There’s going to be some sort of article in the next two months, in Pitchfork or something, where some journalist is like 'why are there so many hell-themed pieces of art coming out?'. There’s been around three to four references already where Hell has been referenced this year.

GG: We’ve been wanting to call an album Hellfire since the first album like three years ago. There’s often that thing where two movies feel like they’re the exact same, come out at the same time. Like when the Olympus Has Fallen movie and then White House Down came out in the same six months, and it was just like 'what’s going on?'.

GW: Well yeah, it’s exactly that, and that’s the thing, it’s basically comes down to the fact there’s either got to be a link here, or just no link at all… you know it’s just getting to the bottom of that piercing unknown.

CP: It’s quite a funny coincidence, I haven’t seen the new season of Stanger Things, but I saw a screengrab come out of an episode where it says, “Welcome to Hell,” and I was just like: 'oh wow'.

GW: As Hellfire is your third album, what was the thought process of the angle you wanted to take with this one?

GG: It’s kind of a distillation of what we found most rewarding from the first two albums. What we came away thinking about both of them. It didn’t feel like we were sketching out a new territory, it was just more of the same. It’s such a long time ago since we did all of these songs — over a year ago now — it kind of feels quite foreign now that it’s out, but it’s good.

GW: I suppose that is hard, having recorded them so long ago, you probably feel like you’ve just been sitting on it?

All: Yeah!

CP: We have, we’re just really unlucky: with the current supply chain issues around the world, it’s meant that it’s taken much longer for vinyl to get pressed. It took a while to mix, and that’s one thing in itself but if vinyl production was in its normal self, we probably would’ve had it out in like April/May. Which is much closer to when we originally wanted it to be out…

But it is what it is. We’re really lucky the summer is a good financial business standpoint, as we’re doing lots of big festivals and shows around the album. It’ll be good for the album’s successor, but obviously this year is just touring and we’d like to get back into the studio and write some songs. 

GW: Yeah, it’s crazy how quick it all happens.

MS: It’s always been one of our biggest fears. I guess it’s how the machine of the music industry works. You write a record and then you tour it for around 18 months, whereas we want to minimise the amount of time between writing the material and putting it out. No one wants to sit on stuff, you know!

GW: Yeah, of course. I wanted to touch more upon the sort of theatrical side to black midi. From your musical and live aspect, I gather there might be a bit of theatre background or liking from you guys, can you maybe expand on this at all?

CP: I quite like the old musicals, I don’t particularly like any new ones. But also, when we were in Brit (school) all the most intense, over-the-top people were like musical theatre kids. It kind of put me off…but when I was a kid, I’d love to watch musicals. 

GW: Haha, so the crowd was an absolute L but the scene was good…

MS: Yeah!

CP: If you imagine Glee or whatever...at lunchtime at Brit it was like that, and you’re a bit like: 'ah, I could do without this…'

GW: Oh god, I won’t lie I do really unironically love Glee, which is unacceptable behaviour!

CP: I don’t think so, you gotta put your foot down! Ryan Murphy as well, it’s the same guy who did American Horror Story – the king of American TV.

MS: I love musicals, I always have done, my mum's always loved musicals, and my uncle has played in the West End for like 20 years. We used to go and watch the shows he was in like We Will Rock You; he played in Wicked for a little bit. Epic. But yeah, I’m kind of similar: I definitely prefer older musicals, especially West Side Story. 

CP: We were gonna see Back to the Future!

GW: That would’ve been so good!

CP: Yeah, but business got in the way.

MS: Business called.

GW: That’s lame.

CP: It’s lame as hell 

GG: The problem with musicals now is in the beginning people were actually singing, whereas since then, people tend to put on an annoying American accent when they sing. It’s all about having as much diction as possible, but it’s just a horrific way of singing. I like some old school shit like West Side Story, My Fair Lady, you know the Hollywood ones, but generally musical theatre isn’t really for me. The general intent of it, and just the spirit of the performance is integral to what we’re doing, the silliness of it and the artificial side. 

GW: Yeah, that’s cool. I wanted to ask what song on Hellfire is the ‘John L’ on the album. As you know, ‘John L’ was praised brilliant in your last album Cavalcade and I’m just wondering what track on Hellfire you think is going have the same uproar?

CP: I don’t think that there’s a straight up transplant between the two albums for ‘John L’. I’m not sure I can think of one that has the same vibe, or riff lead in that way.

MS: I think if I had to choose, probably ‘Welcome to Hell’. I mean, they’re definitely different vibes, but they’re in a similar realm.

GG: Yeah, first single!

M: Yeah, first single! Just the effect they seem to have had when we put them out...

GW: Yeah, of course. And with the setlist for your slot at Positivus today, what’s your plan?  

GG: The album's out now, so we can play it all. And maybe some musicals…

GW: Oh my god, don’t! If you started playing musicals, I think I would cry

MS: Tonight, is the night!

CP: We’ve only got a 45 minute set, and we usually have an hour. I think for ease, we’ve been doing some quite similar sets, but this is the most intense period of the summer. 

GW: You’ve only got 45 minutes, that feels quite short?!

CP: Yeah, it’s alright. Easy money…

GW: What song are you most excited to play form the album tonight?

MS: Oh, I don’t know, ‘Dangerous Liaisons'.

CP: We’re gonna play ‘Hot Girl Summer'.

MS: We’ve had some difficulty playing that recently.

GW: Why is that?

GG: It’s hard

MS: Yeah, it’s hard, more so for Geordie, the guitar part and singing at the same time.

GG: But hopefully it’ll be okay.

GW: I’m sure you’ll be fine, even if you do stumble a bit, I highly doubt anyone’s going to be like, ‘you’re fucking shit!’

CP: We’re looking at getting some new in ear monitors soon: it’s going to change the game. We’re going to be able to play every song that’s been recorded.

GW: Nice one! And just my last question for you guys, what date are you most excited to play off tour?

GG: There’s one that’s classified at the moment, but you’ll see!

GW: I saw you’ve added a couple new dates…

CP: Yeah, the classified one is definitely the one, it’s at the end of the tour. It’s a two-month tour and we would’ve never agreed to do one as long as that, if we weren’t doing that show at the end. 

GW: This is evil…

MS: We really can’t disclose it, but all I’m saying is, you’ll be like…woah!

GG: Let’s do second best! Where else are we playing?

MS: To be fair, Austin with Black Country, New Road that’s going to be crazy, that’s a sick venue

CP: Yeah, that one sold out too!

MS: But yeah, that last show, it’s classified, undisclosable information…

Hell Fire is out now.

Issue Four of the Gigwise Print magazine is on pre-order now! Order here.

More about: black midi