Geordie Greep pays tribute following the death of Black Midi’s Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin

Geordie Greep has spoken out to honour his Black Midi bandmate Matt Kwasniewski Kelvin, who passed away last week at the age of 26.

The group’s label Rough Trade later shared a message from his family, confirming the guitarist’s death following a prolonged struggle with his mental health.

“It is with deep sadness that we as a family regret to inform you that Matthew Kwasniewski-Kelvin has died after a long battle with his mental health,” the statement said. “A talented musician and a kind, loving young man finally succumbed; despite all efforts. Matt was 26-years-old. He will always be loved.

“Please take a moment to check in with your loved ones so we can stop this happening to our young men.”

Messages of sympathy quickly poured in from across the music community, with tributes shared by figures including Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson, DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, Fontaines D.C.’s Connor Deegan III and Shame.

Now, Black Midi singer Greep has posted a personal and emotional message of his own, describing the past few days as “a really tricky week”.

“It goes without saying it’s been a really tricky week. Really, really sad and shit. But I think that it’s important I say something here just to have some record of this time and these feelings,” Greep wrote.

“I want to say thank you, so, so, so much, to all of my friends, to everyone we have worked with in music, and to all of the fans for being so supportive and kind and thoughtful and gentle. Really thank you all so much, it means more than anything and has really helped. It has been so moving and powerful to see all the tributes and memories shared by all those who know him and all those he inspired. I want to extend all the warmest thoughts to all of Matt’s family and hope all of you are doing okay.”

Greep went on to say he had been concentrating on remembering “what a great person” Kwasniewski Kelvin was, describing him as “a force for positivity and goodwill” who improved the lives of everyone around him. He acknowledged that they had not seen one another for several years but said he thought about him often and always hoped they would meet again one day.

He also addressed Kwasniewski Kelvin’s struggles with mental health, sharing that he wished he could express “how sorry I am for everything that happened” and how deeply unfair it was that he had to live with such a relentless illness.

Later in the post, he added: “I think it’s my duty to not ever shy away from telling the world what a great person you were. To not be frightened or be awkward or discreet around the topic, that feeling doesn’t compare and isn’t at all important when I think of what you were dealing with for so long and what an amazing person you were.”

Kwasniewski Kelvin helped form the band in 2017, and the group soon gained widespread attention for their distinctive approach to experimental art rock.

Their debut album Schlagenheim arrived in 2019, followed a year later by a jam based and spoken word release titled The Black Midi Anthology Vol. 1: Tales of Suspense and Revenge.

In 2021, Kwasniewski Kelvin announced he would be stepping back from the band to prioritise his mental health. He later received songwriting credits on their second album Cavalcade, which was released later that same year.

Black Midi’s most recent album Hellfire was released in July 2022, before the band entered an indefinite hiatus in 2024. Both frontman Geordie Greep and bassist Cameron Picton confirmed the pause with fans, ahead of Greep beginning work on his solo career.