BLACK MIDI/CIRCUIT DES YEUX LIVE @ THE BEACHLAND BALLROOM

By Eric Rauert

Black Midi plays to a sold out Beachland Ballroom

Usually swinging in half an hour before the opener yields decent positioning at the 800 person Beachland Ballroom but this sold out show had a line far before doors. I watched from Citizen Pie across the street (top 5 pizza of my life, highly recommended) as a nerdy but darkly dressed crew shuffled into
the ballroom. We finished our ‘za and headed in to be greeted with an already densely packed venue for the opener.

Circuit Des Yeux featured a one woman show starring Haley Fohr (vocals, keyboard). My friend put this best after she finished: her sound is best described as “industrial Catholic” music. A prerecorded backing track played haunting hymnals with Fohr travelling to every corner of the stage wailing on vocals. I couldn’t help feeling like I was at Sunday mass in an abandoned factory but the strength of Fohr’s vocals really carried her performance. Sustained, droning notes showcased her strength as a live performer and they layered beautifully over her prerecorded musical offering.

Her performance was only 30 minutes: short but sweet. While I might not listen to this music on the regular, it was absolutely the right energy for the show. The show was general admission only but the audience gave Fohr what could have amounted to a standing ovation. Black Midi fans tend to value the odd and this was one of the most positive receptions I’ve seen for a mostly unknown opener.

I don’t know what it is with Black Midi shows and heat but as the crowd eagerly awaited the headliner the temperature in the Ballroom continued to rise. When I saw them at the 150 capacity Mahall’s in 2021, it was even hotter than the Ballroom; saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi (absent from this tour) stepped off stage into the crowd mid show, only to quickly return citing the fact “he might die” slipping on the sweat that coated the vinyl dance floor.

As a pre-recorded boxing announcer MC’ing a heavyweight fight introduced the now four-piece, I wondered if this show would match the energy of 2021. The opening riff of “953” started and it was safe to say close to half the crowd was swallowed into the mosh pit. My friend and I near the outskirts were suddenly a few rows from becoming the new pit border and this was quite a Saturday night crowd. “Speedway” followed to cut the tempo slightly but the crowd was clearly here to party.

“Welcome to Hell” offered one of the more memorable moments of the show, with myself and much of the crowd yelling along to the lyrics “To die for your country does not win a war, to kill for your country is what wins a war!”.

“Sugar/Tzu” finished the story of the boxing match from the intro and as Greep mentions in the lyrics, the audience is the only winner in this song’s impossibly fast jazz breakdowns.

A slew of songs followed, slowing the pace to rely more on Greep’s vocals and slightly softer playing from the duo of Pickton and Evans. Newer music from Black Midi tends to channel more jazz than rock and “27 Questions”, “Dangerous Liaisons”, “Lumps”, and “Still” showcase a lighter, more lyrically committed band that still keeps a rock edge in the breakdowns. Don’t get me wrong, the crowd was still moshing and moving to this music but the pace was categorically slower.

After a quick cover of “The Taxman” by The Beatles, the show descended into utter debauchery once again for “Eat Men Eat”. This reignited the mosh pit, combining the chaotic guitar and odd lyrical stylings that I’ve come to love from Pickton breathlessly yelling “EAT MEN EAT”.

“Dethroned” and “Near DT, MI” kept the intensity. Simpson brings an unmatched creativity on the drums and is one of the strongest reasons to come see a Black Midi show. He works for every note and definitely took center stage during these songs (and much of the show), bringing crazy tempo with a tight intensity that he makes seem casual.

“Slow” featured Pickton on vocals once again and is a crowd pleaser with its intense, crashing rhythm that’s anything but slow. Ambling along with Pickton’s disinterested but harsh vocals, the breakdowns somehow saw even more of the crowd moshing.

“John L” would conclude the heavier songs of the evening, with the bonus of an extended jam in the middle of the song. Black Midi isn’t a “jam band” per say but improvisation is everywhere in their creative process from live performances to studio albums. This evening, the choice was a mostly ambient jam with improvised noise rock riffs. This wasn’t my favorite offering from them but with the strength of every member in the band, it would be excellent to see where these jams go with more live space.

Coming out of the jam, we crashed back into the refrain of “John L” before transitioning into an unreleased song I now know as “The Magician”. This song saw Evans move to the keyboard and Pickton transition to the bass for a soulful, slower song that features Greep prominently on vocals. This is Black Midi’s transition to more poetic, lyrically focused music that has featured on some of their albums of the past and plays well, although Black Midi is best in their chaotic jazz-rock pocket.

In fact, while an incredible show with intense energy, I couldn’t help but be more impressed with the first time I saw them in 2021. Lacking Akinnibi on the saxophone to bring a true jazz feel, this tour seems to show the band transitioning to a more considered form of their music. I prefer the raw energy and chaos that first brought me to Black Midi’s music in Schlangenheim and Calvacade.

Still, I think it truly says something when I can have this opinion and the crowd was one of the most energetic I’ve seen in my life: I enjoyed the performance immensely but hope that they can continue to innovate while bringing the classic Black Midi intensity and creativity that put them on the map so quickly. And with their trend in growth, I look forward to seeing them at a sold-out Agora in Cleveland come 2025.

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