U.K. post-punk has seen an explosion in new sounds and faces in recent years. Acts such as Fontaines D. C. as well as IDLES and Viagra boys have become household names and festival mainstays but there are also many bands on the club circuit putting in the work and giving unforgettable performances. Black Midi was one of these bands and had become apart of my daily listening rotation in recent years. They contrast from other bands they came up with in the Windmill scene (including Black Country, New Road, Squid, and Shame) with a sound of controlled chaos. Thrashing riffs that would not be out of place at a punk show, like on my favorite song of theirs “953,” with its relentless chord progression that when played just loud enough feels like its beating you down. Alongside more avant garde pieces that twist and turn any which way they want, such as “Welcome to Hell”. I just missed out on getting to see them live at Thalia Hall and before they could return to Chicago, the band imploded with each member deciding to pursue solo projects.

Greep and Co. performing “Holy, Holy” (Photo taken by author 9/14/25)

From the ashes of Black Midi, former frontman, Geordie Greep, took a few songs the band had already been working on and put together an album of his own that was something different, something new. The aptly titled release The New Sound was not dissimilar from what Black Midi had been moving towards as a unit, but now with Greep taking full control, the album could be fully fleshed out as he saw fit. The lead single, “Holy, Holy,” quickly became a fan favorite, with other stand out songs such as album opener “Blues” becoming famous on TikTok due to its frantic stop start opening and “The Magician” already having its own notoriety due to being one of the last songs Black Midi had worked on and being performed live at some of their final shows.

Following the release of The New Sound, Greep embarked on a tour of Europe which bled into a tour of the United States that quickly sold out with many extra dates being added and a slew of venue upgrades. I had the chance to see Greep perform up close and personally at The Empty Bottle, with Nmandi opening, on his second of three nights performing in Chicago back in January. I was able to see him perform once again this time at the historic Metro on September 14th. Seeing both of these shows has cemented Greep as one of my favorite live perfomers. He has put together an unforgettable experience on both the eyes and ears with an ensemble of fellow young musicians who each play an intricate role during the show.

Greep admiring Cameron Campbell while soloing during “The Magician” (Photo taken by author 9/14/25

Percussionist Santiago Moyano gets to sing two songs including my personal favorite of the set, a cover of “Oh Qué Será?” by Willie Colón. This classic salsa ballad gets the entire crowd moving back and forth rhythmically rather than the usual pogoing and head banging. Other stand out moments included a six minute piano solo from keyboardist Cameron Campbell during the interlude of “The Magician” as well as constant improvisation from bassist Dave “Friendly Dave” Strawn, guitarist Ethan Marsh, and drummer Charlie Schefft.

Each musician gives it their all the entire set and you can tell how close the band has become from playing two tours across the United States together in the span of a year. Where each member was dressed casually the first time I saw the band, this time they all came out in dress shirts and jackets. Visually representing that they are all on the same page as a unit, playing each song in cohesion and adding to it in whatever way they think will push the music even further.

Both times I have seen Greep and his band play I have been mesmerized by the musicianship on display. While the album itself is about an hour long, both shows have gone on for two and a half hours for Greep’s set alone. With only one song off the album missing and a few more covers sprinkled in this additional hour and a half runtime comes from the band getting lost in the moment and jamming until they feel the song has come to its natural conclusion. Greeps set at Empty Bottle earlier in the year has become my favorite of all concerts I have gone to because it truly was a one of a kind experience.

Greep and Co. performing “Blues” (Photo taken by author 9/14/15)

Despite playing the same setlist each night, every show is also different depending on how each musician decides to mix it up or what inspiration comes to them in the moment. At the Empty Bottle show Greep broke a string mid song and said “Here we have proof that we are playing live music. So pat yourselves on the back for supporting live music man”. And rather than grab a new guitar or fix it after the song ended, the band kept playing while he pulled out a new pack of string, restrung, and re-tuned his guitar. At which point the rest of the band began to play in time with him tuning the guitar until they had come back to the part of the song they were originally playing.

Which brings us to the crux of why I love to see artists such as Greep and go to shows at smaller club and bar venues. There's a level of intimacy and effort given by the musicians playing that you simply do not get out of the floor seating at an arena show. That is not to say bigger artists are phoning it in when they start to play bigger shows but there is definitely less of a connection between the crowd and what is happening on stage. Compared to my experiences seeing Greep where the music is presented front and center for all the crowd to take in.

An Evening with Geordie Greep at The Metro