Geordie Greep has paid tribute to fellow Black Midi co-founder Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin following his death earlier this month.
Writing on Instagram, Greep said: “It goes without saying that 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.
“It’s really such a sad thing that’s happened. But I have been trying to focus on what a great person he was, what a force for positivity and goodwill, and how much better he made the lives of everyone who knew him. We all loved him so much, we really did. And he will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Even though I haven’t seen him in some years, I thought about him very often, and I always wished and hoped I would one day see him again. There is so much I wish I could say to him. I wish I could say how sorry I am for everything that happened, how sorry I am that he was unlucky enough to be battling such a cruel, unforgiving and persistent illness, how much I miss him and will miss him always, and how thankful I am for everything he did for me.
“He changed my life in more ways than I can ever explain or repay. Thank you Matt, thank you so much for being my friend. Thank you for helping me in so many ways. Thank you for being brave and courageous enough to believe in the dream we had together, and brave and courageous enough to battle through the awful thing you had to for as long as you did. We had a dream when we were 14 years old of making crazy music and playing it around the world, being able to make music on our own terms and be able to do it for a living – and we bloody did. We did and in a short time too.
“That’s the thing I want to remember, how, even when you were struggling with all that you were, you had the courage and strength and determination to make this music that made so many people happy. We bloody did it. That feeling will remain with me for the rest of my life, and I will spend the rest of it making more music in the hopes of honouring you, and the mad dream we had when we were 14 years old. Almost no one believed in us but we knew we could do it, and we bloody did.”
Kwasniewski-Kelvin passed away “after a long battle with his mental health,” his family said earlier this month. He was 26.
Kwasniewski-Kelvin formed Black Midi with Geordie Greep, Cameron Picton and Morgan Simpson in 2017, and performed on their debut album, Schlagenheim, which was released in 2019. In January 2021, the band announced that he was to take time apart from the group due to mental health issues.
