Post-Brexit New Wave icons Black Country, New Road have finally announced their first shows in the US. To mark the importance of the occasion, the group have decided to feature the genre-pushing black midi as support. Beginning in September, the tour will see a solo opening night at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, before spending the rest of the month with black midi travelling across the states. You can find full ticket information on all of the dates here.
We’re delighted to announce that we will be playing a series of shows in the United States of America later this year. We will be playing with our friends @bmblackmidi on a selection of dates. This will be accompanied by our own headline show in New York City at @boweryballroom. pic.twitter.com/BPsXuQ3Bxu
— BlackCountry,NewRoad (@BCNRband) June 7, 2022
Now when I say ‘finally’ I may be exaggerating the scale a little. Black Country, New Road (who for convenience sake I’ll call BC,NR) released their debut For The First Time in February 2021, then in less than a year their sophomore LP Ants From Up There was released – unfortunately, it came just a week or 2 after lead vocalist and founding member Isaac Woods announced his departure. So, it really hasn’t been too long in the making. But actual timescale aside, it’s been an eventful journey. Woods’ leaving gave the band no choice but to cancel the US tour they had planned at the time, and – because of the band’s decision to only play new music after the departure – neither of the albums released so far actually got to be played there. A lot has happened.
One thing to keep in mind, however, Woods’ departure was not one of malice or disrespect. The group have all openly condoned the reasoning behind it, and has chosen to look at it as the beginning of a new phase in the band’s history. Things change, members come and go, and the jazz-ensemble-esque nature of the band means that this may even suit them. The decision to fill a whole set with entirely new music fits in with the enigmatic history of the band; never let them know your next move. You can listen to one of the new tracks, recorded by a fan from one of the last UK dates, below.
BC,NR touring with black midi does mean that it’d be rude not to bring up a bit of an undiscovered gem in the post-punk world. The Windmill in Brixton is famous for its work with undiscovered, unsigned, and generally underground artists. It gave a platform to so many bands we take for granted today – BC,NR, black midi, and Squid should be more than enough examples – and as a part of the venue’s Christmas livestreams, Black Midi, New Road was born. See below.
