black midi Announces Hiatus: Examining their Post-Punk Legacy

Geordie Greep broke the news of black midi’s breakup on an Instagram live, typing to the chat, “No more black midi / Its iver / Over.” Bandmate Cameron Picton confirmed the news and the band’s management clarified they they were going on indefinite hiatus for solo work, with the black midi door to be left open in the future.

The three-piece rounded out by child prodigy drummer Morgan Simpson formed out of London in 2015. A string of singles and an alluring KEXP performance of unreleased tracks generated enormous hype for the band’s debut record Schlagenheim in 2019 that charted in the UK and was nominated for a Mercury Prize. 2021’s Cavalcade earned the band even more critical and popular acclaim, which was followed by their final album Hellfire only a year later which set a new peak of commercial success for the group.

With Greep debuting his solo sound to the US next month, Picton promoting his own album, and Simpson featuring for a number of other artists, the band’s spotless three album run is complete. Was black midi just a flash in the pan, or will their music continue to influence as a pioneer of the genre?

Students of the Slint school, black midi was an eclectic clash of progressive rock and jazz that immediately captivated audiences and provided a much needed refresh to British rock. Belonging to a greater scene of talk-singing post-punk coming out of the Speedy Wunderground label, black midi was the ultimate iteration of this new wave, laying the groundwork for compatriots Black Country, New Road; Fontaines D.C.; Squid; Wet Leg; and more.

The nexus point of this scene came in the form of a few collaborative shows billed as Black Midi, New Road between the two bands rising in the London underground at the same time. Performing as one band an array of covers and Black Country singles, the brief years of black midi and Isaac Woods era BC,NR will undoubtedly appear in a future refresh of “Losing My Edge.” This was perhaps the singular moment of 21st century rock, and it has just passed us by.

I saw black midi and BC,NR at the first stop of their US Tour in Baltimore. BC,NR debuted what would become Live at Bush Hall and Greep came out dancing to “Good Morning Baltimore.” It was the smelliest crowd I’ve ever been in. There was a white woman with dreads that probably hasn’t touched aluminum deodorant in a decade. I saw them both again a year later in DC. The aroma did not improve, but those black midi sets were incredibly tight.

In the grand scheme of prog rock, breakups and lineup changes are the norm. This hiatus might bring about the creative curiosity in the trio needed for a fourth record years down the line. Or they descend into post-bandmate animosity and never unite again. Its all speculation at this point, but the boldness of this move is not to be ignored. To pull the plug coming straight off of the peak of their success is crazy, but equally cool. black midi heads into hiatus with a pretty untouchable legacy as post-punk trailblazers. All that’s left is to wait for the solo material and pay three times as much to see all the guys separately. Welcome to Hell!