Black Midi Co-Founder Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin Dies at 26

"Kwasniewski-Kelvin took up guitar in primary school, quickly adopting a taste for skater-adjacent punk-pop. His father, who played in a party band, occasionally invited him to rehearsals, where Kwasniewski-Kelvin, then 12, would solo over the group's blues and pop jams. He met his future Black Midi bandmates-Geordie Greep, Cameron Picton, and Morgan Simpson-at the London performing arts institution the BRIT School, where Greep helped steer his classmate's tastes towards "harsh noise, drone music, Merzbow,""

"Feted for hectic shows at Brixton's Windmill venue-with Kwasniewski-Kelvin alternating delirious post-hardcore riffs with abstract, sometimes improvised noise-the four-piece spearheaded the south London scene that launched a generation of British experimental rock, frequently sharing stages with the likes of Black Country, New Road, Jerskin Fendrix, and Shame. After signing to Rough Trade, the band released Schlagenheim, produced by Speedy Wunderground honcho and scene shepherd Dan Carey, to rave reviews in 2019."

"They squeezed in major tours of North America and Europe before the coronavirus pandemic, but when the band returned, with , in early 2021, Kwasniewski-Kelvin was absent. "I have been taking some time off from the band as I have been mentally unwell," he wrote, adding that he hoped to be back soon. At the time, the band said, "We're all fully behind our best mate in his recovery," and noted, "you'd be surprised at the lengths people will go to help you.""

Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin was the co-founding guitarist of Black Midi and performed on their debut album Schlagenheim before leaving the group in 2021. He began playing guitar in primary school and gravitated toward skater-adjacent punk-pop, influenced by his father's party band rehearsals where he soloed at age 12. He met Geordie Greep, Cameron Picton, and Morgan Simpson at the BRIT School, where Greep broadened his tastes toward harsh noise and drone. Black Midi earned praise for intense Windmill shows and released Schlagenheim to strong reviews in 2019, toured internationally, and later continued without him. Kwasniewski-Kelvin died at 26 after a long battle with his mental health.

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