Back in November 2018, KEXP took our annual trip to Reykjavik for the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival. Over the span of four days, we broadcasted live from the renowned KEX Hostel, streaming live video of performances from Icelandic artists and other acts from the festival lineup. We’ll be rolling out these videos over the weeks to follow. Today’s feature is of London-based math-noise quartet black midi. Writer Dusty Henry reported:
I know next to nothing about the guys in black midi, so I can't speak to anything about what might be going through their minds when they write spastic songs like "Bmbmbm" (the only song they played tonight that had a name). Nevertheless, you can feel that sense of searching. Atonal riffs abounded and drums clattered like trash cans thrown off the roof. Their playing was anxious and measured. At some moments they'd stand statuesque while they hit every note in a tediously difficult riff, the next they'd be wailing at their instruments like they'd gone feral and mad. The fact that they barely talked between songs only added to the whole experience. You had to keep questioning, "who the fuck are these guys?" The question would eat at the back of your mind the whole time and all the possible answers only added more questions. Who the fuck are these guys!? I don't know. But what we heard at Kex Hostel was a seed planted and we'll just have to wait and see what it grows into.
Read the full report here.
Recorded November 9, 2018.
Songs:
untitled 1
untitled 1
untitled 1
untitled 1
bmbmbm
Hosts: Kevin Cole & Cheryl Waters
Audio Engineers: Kevin Suggs & Eyvindur Þorsteinsson
Audio Mixer: Kevin Suggs
Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Alaia D'Alessandro, Scott Holpainen & Matt Ogaz
Director: Justin Wilmore
Editor: Jim Beckmann
