Gig Review: Midnight at The New Cross Inn (London)
Venue: The New Cross Inn
|
Date: Apr 18, 2024
|
Location: London, UK
|
Venue: The New Cross Inn | Date: Apr 18, 2024 | Location: London, UK |
Ah, The New Cross Inn. A staple of London's underground metal scene, located close to my house, great atmosphere, great people and terrible pizza slices. This, my fellow Citadelians, is why it’s the perfect venue for a band like Midnight. This was the second time Midnight attended this fine establishment, and the second time we would be seeing them there. Could they have went for the bigger payout with more flash like The Blackheart, The Underworld, The Ship, The Dev, or The Roundhouse, but nah brah, that’s not how Athenar rolls, for God’s sake the man does interviews on his Nokia burner phone. That’s why on April 18th, Midnight brought their mayhem to London, leaving The New Cross Inn in ruins, and littered with metal pins on the floor.
Before we get into the meat (or bones) of the night, let's talk about the crowd. The New Cross Inn is no stranger to packed houses, but I've never seen it this crammed. It was like a tin of sardines, if sardines were largely smelly dudes and super fit girls. But hey if there’s one thing you can expect at a Midnight show it’s fit girls and their ogre boyfriends - and we love em for it!
Now, let's talk about the pit, aka the graveyard of my fucking lost pins! I'd say I lost a few brain cells in there, but let's be honest, I probably didn't have any to lose in the first place. If you were on the edge of the pit, you had a 50/50 chance of surviving the night without getting the back of my head smashed into your teeth. Sorry about that by the way if I did whack you! When you're going that hard, it's bound to happen.
Midnight Takes The Stage!
Finally, Midnight hit the stage, and everything just went from wild to absolute mayhem. Those fuckin Cleavlanders came out guns blazing with "Vomit Queens." Nothing like starting off with a song that immediately makes you wonder if you've had your tetanus shot. The setlist was like a roller coaster ride designed by a sadist. "Lust Filth and Sleaze" came next, followed by "Black Rock'n'Roll."
Midnight played that night like they'd been possessed - nothing unusual. From the moment they hit the stage, their energy was ferocious and unrelenting. The guitar riffs cut through the air like razor blades, the drums pummeled you into submission, and the vocals were pure, unbridled rage, with a tinge of cuteness. ;)
The band was tighter than a body bag at a crime scene, nailing every transition and feeding off the crowd's frenzy. It was the kind of performance that made you forget your ears were bleeding because you were too busy headbanging and screaming along. They tore The New Cross Inn a new asshole, brah!
It's hard to describe the energy in the room without using words like "frenzy," "carnage," and I think I saw someone levitate, but turns out I was on shrooms and some massive block next to me was just crowd surfing.
The crowd surfing was a thing to behold. It was like someone put a trampoline in the middle of the pit. People were flying over your head every few seconds. Peoples ass’s and farts filled the ceiling as the noxious gasses and asses, perfect for Athenar and the boys! This was Midnight, after all. If you weren't covered in someone else's sweat, beer, farts, or blood, you were doing it wrong.
Midnight Shreds My Soul Apart
The setlist was a greatest hits compilation of everything that makes Midnight one of the most intense bands in the black/thrash scene. "Expect Total Hell" delivered on its promise, and "Masked and Deadly" was, well, deadly. "Slave of the Blade" and "Dungeon Lust" were a brutal back-to-back combo that felt like a one-two punch to the gut. By the time they hit "Fucking Speed and Darkness," the crowd was a writhing, sweaty mess. And that was just halfway through the set! See the full setlist below:
Setlist
Vomit Queens
Lust Filth and Sleaze
Black Rock'n'Roll
Expect Total Hell
Gash Scrape
Masked and Deadly
Slave of the Blade
Dungeon Lust
Fucking Speed and Darkness
Szex Witchery
Evil Like a Knife
Nuclear Savior
Deliver Us to Devil
Mercyless Slaughtor
Doom Death Desire
F.O.A.L.
Satanic Royalty
You Can't Stop Steel
Unholy and Rotten
A Night to Remember
The night ended with "Satanic Royalty," "You Can't Stop Steel," and "Unholy and Rotten." By this point, the New Cross Inn was barely holding itself together. For us Citadelians, it was a night to remember. We even met some fans who recognised us (and by recognised us I mean they saw the babes from The Valkyries of the Citadel), and we swapped stories of other gigs, other mosh pits, and other nights that ended with a trip to A&E.
Midnight's gig at The New Cross Inn was the kind of night that reminded you why you got into metal in the first place. It was raw, it was brutal, and it was the most fun you could have if you’re over 30 without breaking the law. So here's to Midnight, to the fans, and to those two poor souls I accidentally headbutted. See you in the pit!
Written by: Chort the Crop Infestor
“Hi, I’m Chort I infest crops and listen to Black Metal. I’ve currently invested most of my life savings into tracking down the REAL Nattramn and telling him how much I love his voice.”
