VIDEO: Midlake Share 'Noble' Live Performance Video

With their acclaimed new album, For the Sake of Bethel Woods, out this Friday following a number of high-profile live appearances at SXSW this week, Midlake today share a live performance of the recently released track "Noble" from the LP.

One of the most personal and moving songs from the album, the song is named after drummer McKenzie Smith's infant son "Noble" who was born with a rare brain disorder. Filmed at Modern Electric Sound Recorders in Dallas, Texas, the video is was directed by Rett Rogers and is the third in a series of live performances the band have shared ahead of the album's release.

"Noble was born with a rare brain disease," says frontman Eric Pulido. "When he was born, they were told the life expectancy of most children with his disease was between six months to two years. The heavy nature of Noble's condition and the new reality for my friend and bandmate McKenzie (and his wife and daughter) wasn't something we took lightly. We were really excited to create this song for him and for Noble to not only acknowledge the struggle but also celebrate this amazing and beautiful boy. The wonderful news is that more than two years later, Noble is still here with us! He has beaten so many odds already and continues to amaze and prove to us how incredibly strong he is. His life is extremely challenging on many levels, so every day we have with him is a precious gift."

This live performance video of "Noble" follows the release of the song earlier this month and precedes the eagerly awaited arrival of Midlake's upcoming fifth studio album, For The Sake Of Bethel Woods, due via ATO Records in the US and Bella Union in the UK this Friday, March 18; pre-orders are available now. The band will be hosting a full-album virtual listening party via YouTube at 9pm ET this Thursday, March 17.

Produced, engineered, and mixed by GRAMMY® Award-winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, Sharon Van Etten) at Elmwood Recording Studio in Dallas, TX, For The Sake Of Bethel Woods marks Midlake's first time recording with an outside producer.

The result is an album of immersive warmth and mystery from a landmark band once feared lost by fans, but here revivified with freshness and constancy of intent. A desire to commune with the past and connect with the present, lived experience asserts itself throughout songs such as "Bethel Woods" - named of course for the site of 1969's original 37-acre Woodstock festival field - and the sky-scraping space-rock of "Exile."

That same resonant spirit is further embodied by the instantly memorable cover art, designed by pro skateboarder/filmmaker/visual artist Brian Lotti and featuring a striking photo of keyboardist/flautist Jesse Chandler's father, who tragically passed away in 2018.

Watch the new music video here:

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