British multi-instrumentalist Geordie Greep brought his expansive solo repertoire to the Lodge Room on September 28, delivering a two-hour performance built around intricate arrangements, theatrical vocals, and extended improvisations. The former black midi frontman and his six-piece ensemble reworked songs into ambitious musical excursions that moved across genres while maintaining tight coordination.
The performance showcased Greep’s command of the material from his 2024 solo debut, The New Sound. The musicians combined keyboards, percussion, drums, bass, and rhythm guitar to create a dense sound that shifted between unconventional time signatures, flowing grooves, noisy passages, and restrained emotional moments.
Greep described his approach to making the album as an opportunity to work without the creative constraints he associated with performing in a band. Speaking about the transition from his former group black midi, Greep noted that recording his solo work allowed him total creative freedom.
“Music can be so much more than learning to play the same as everybody else. It can be anything you want. With recording The New Sound, it was the first time I have had no one to answer to,” Greep explained.
Inside The New Sound Live Experience
The two-hour set at the Lodge Room tested endurance and control, keeping audience attention locked in with phones rarely visible until the night was nearly finished. Rather than treating recorded songs as fixed products, the live ensemble used them as starting points. Tracks stretched into half-hour improvisational passages, pushing the material far beyond standard run-throughs.
The six-piece ensemble gave the complex arrangements room to breathe without losing their precise shape. Standout moments included dynamic renditions of the instrumental title track-a jazz-funk workout filled with brass, wah-wah pedals, and polyrhythms-as well as a striking arrangement of “The Magician.”
The Creative Vision Behind the Music
The making of The New Sound involved over thirty session musicians across two continents. Greep recorded half of the tracks in Brazil with local musicians who had never heard his previous work, completing the tracking in just one or two days.
The resulting sound draws comparisons to artists like Frank Zappa, Frank Sinatra, and Scott Walker, weaving together alternative pop fun, cabaret atmospheres, and Latin big band arrangements. Lyrically, the album explores themes of desperation and elaborate fantasies through a series of vivid narrative vignettes.
- Debut Solo Album: The New Sound (2024)
- Live Ensemble Size: Six-piece band
- Concert Date: September 28 at the Lodge Room
- Key Influences Cited: Frank Zappa, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, Keith Jarrett
What Comes Next for Greep
Looking ahead, Greep intends to continue evolving his live and recording configurations rather than sticking to a permanent backing group. Outlining his future plans, he stated a desire to embrace spontaneity.
“My plan is to ‘do a Keith Jarrett thing’, have a different group of session musicians in a different place and lean into the fact that we’re not going to get it the same,” Greep said.
