Live Music

black midi @ Red Flag 06.28.23

July 12, 2023 * by Bryan J. Sutter * Leave a comment
British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

black midi’s 2022 release Hellfire has been one of my favorite records as of late. It’s interesting, challenging, and often a lot of fun to listen to. It can be noisy, quiet, and a dozen other things, sometimes even in the same song. There’s something for high school band nerds just as much as there is something for their friends that have improvised gravity bongs out of a Folgers tin and a wine bottle.

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

And I guess there’s plenty for people that think music is just, like, cool. 

St. Louis is a weird place for live music, and it sometimes feels that bands like black midi don’t always get as booked as much as some local music nerds,  like myself, would like. So when the opportunity arises, I try to at least attend these rare events, if not photograph them. When I got the email telling me I was approved to shoot black midi at Red Flag for The Arts STL, I was incredibly excited. 

I was really impressed with just how tight black midi were as a band. None of their songs are 3 chord bangers, but as a complete unit they were so locked in that sometimes it almost seemed effortless.

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

black midi did not disappoint, and the crowd was on board 110% for the night.

The Shoot

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

For this shoot, I brought my Fujifilm X-S10 with the 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens, along with my Fujifilm GFX50sII. On the GFX, I decided to use an adapted Minolta 57mm f1.7.  It can be very difficult to photograph live music with vintage glass, but the photos you make can have a really lovely quality to them that you don’t always find with modern lenses. 

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

Light was a little tough, with a lot of solid red and blue. There were a few moments with bright light that worked out pretty well. I chose to edit more photos in black and white than I usually care to, but I’m not mad about it. The Sigma is a real workhouse and I’m just super impressed with the images I get with it. On the other hand, it was difficult nailing the focus with the old Minolta lens on the Fujifilm GFX50sII, but I still got some shots that I’m very happy with. Medium format just has a vibe to it that is special. All of the photos in this section were taken with the Minolta 57mm f1.7 on the Fujifilm GFX50sII. I kinda like the weird glare I got from the lights.

British avant-garde jazz punks black midi, touring behind their excellent 2022 release Hellfire, brought music theory class to a very packed Red Flag in Saint Louis, Missouri on June 28th, 2023.

This was my first time taking photos at Red Flag. The venue opened back in 2020, just before the pandemic. A few years on, the booking has gotten pretty solid. It has a big stage, and a second floor for those that like to sit and/or get a little distance from the action on the dance floor. Generally speaking, it’s a nice room and I look forward to shooting there again.

Check out my black midi write up and the rest of my photos over at The Arts STL. You can also check out the rest of my photos here, if you’re that type.