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average age of 20, like to name-check Bach and the minimalist composer Terry Riley alongside Talking
Heads and the rapper Danny Brown, and make ultra-complex music that has elements of jazz, metal and
progressive rock, but doesn’t really sound like any of those genres. The band got a Mercury nomination last
year for the album Schlagenheim and have made an impact in the US, but still turn up to the Windmill for
the odd noisy set in front of 150 extremely excited people. Their drummer, Morgan Simpson, reached grade
eight with distinction before becoming Britain’s young drummer of the year in 2014, aged 14.

Black Midi’s debut album was nominated for the Mercury prizeNEALE HAYNES/THE TIMES

“Five years ago I wasn’t even thinking about being in a band,” Simpson says. “Then at school we started
doing these two-hour jams where we would hit a threshold and everything sounded cool. To do this, you
have to go beyond your ideas about what is tasteful, or even good. You go past a certain point and things get
interesting.”