black midi - Central Park, July 24 2022

After a couple opening acts - the comedian Sarah "Squirm" Sherman and the young lounge singer Sal Valentinetti - BM took the stage much as they did last October, billed as the Supercolossalheavyweight champions of the world and burning through "953", "Speedway", and "Welcome To Hell". Notably saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi was absent from the show, leading to unique versions of the various tracks. Furthermore, as the set developed through more Hellfire cuts it became clear that the band wished to replicate more of their studio dynamics in their live performance. Instead of the breakneck interpretations that defined the first time I heard the new LP's songs these were mostly faithful renditions that simply boosted the louder, harder sections and improvised in different ways. This proved welcome both for the novelty and the extra breathing room from the moshing, with the heat lingering.

When the time came to perform the country-fried "Still" and "Eat Men Eat", Geordie Greep and Cameron Picton swapped instruments, and the band played short covers of LCD Soundsystem's "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" and "Someone Great" before diving into the cuts. After swapping back the pace picked back up with "Chondromalacia Patella" and "John L" - alongside from being woodwindless versions, the home stretch of the latter broke down into a blues-inspired romp in the vein of the "Martin A" version of the song. BM then pulled out the non-album "Faster Amaranta" for the first time in months, and finished their set with the obligatory combo of "27 Questions" and "Slow". All in all, they knocked it out of the park again and gave me another unique experience.