Geordie Greep @ The Liquid Room, Edinburgh, 30 Mar

Following black midi's “indefinite hiatus”-turned-split, the group’s lead guitarist and singer, Geordie Greep, launched his career as a solo artist with The New Sound in October last year. Tonight, Greep is accompanied by six other musicians on stage who flit between approximately ten different instruments throughout an hour-and-a-half set.

This outfit definitely suits the jazz-rock direction of The New Sound, with the cello, saxophone, and double bass players being standout members. Greep and co make sure to get their money’s worth out of their instrumental assortment, extending tracks with lengthy solos, with the piano break in The Magician being a particular highlight. 

Yet despite Greep’s inarguably skilled vocals and accompaniment, tonight's atmosphere dampens the experience somewhat. Greep’s nonchalant crooner stage presence comes off as pretentious, only engaging with the crowd in a dismissive manner as if their presence is interrupting his jam session. Likewise, the extensive range of instrumentation on the majority of tracks often becomes overpowering, with players almost fighting to be heard over one another. While this seems intentional, with the band flipping between order and chaos in a controlled manner, 90 minutes of this push and pull – with the addition of Greep’s often shrill delivery – becomes grating over time. 

This is not to say tonight's gig is entirely without merit. The technical ability onstage is undeniable; it's just a shame that the overall performance comes across as less than the sum of its parts. A special mention goes to Greep’s supporting act, Knats, a jazz trio from Newcastle who prove themselves as the tighter and more entertaining Geordies of the evening.