Medulla Nocte / Lysis

Nottingham Rock City

April 24 1999


I was really worried for this gig. See, last time both these bands played here, Lysis blew up the PA while Medulla blew Misery Loves Co away so hard that it left a hole in the building that has since been converted into a new doorway! So, the question on everyone's lips wasn't "Just how amazing were Wales when they stuffed England in the rugby the other week". No, the question was, "Is Rock City ROCK enough to be able to handle such a combination." Well, in the end, it just about coped. But that's the end, and we're still at the begining of this review.

So what were Lysis gonna break this time I wondered. But before I was able to worry about that, Zaq gives up a mention of the Yaz CD and stuff. I think even Mickey Mouse on my t-shirt blushed when he mentioned it. Awwww. But Dark Mind Rise, which was the song that followed the mention does sound awesome. And I've just used the word mention three times in as many lines. But back to sounding awesome. As do new tracks The Prayer, Fracture (during which the ceiling luckily remains in place) and Untitled. Faultlines still crushes and there's been no destruction yet. But luckily Ian manages to break a string on the guitar, so at least they uphold their tradition of destruction in some form at each gig I see. Though a string is tame in comparison to the PA and the ceiling. So to atone for it, Zaq throws out some of the demo tapes, and hits me square in the shoulder with the first one. Git.

How many of you have dreamt of being in a band? Yeah, and how many have figured the intro to your headline set? The tape that's played, what you say. Something that just starts it off with a bang? Me, I've thought of walking on to Primus' Here Come The Bastards, or Anthrax playing Pipeline. I've gone for the melancholy song intro, something like Sophia or just the full out tilt that Maiden always used to do to open a show. But then, at the end of the day, what better intro is there than "We're Medulla Nocte, and we sound like this", followed by a scream Sir Mike Patton would've loved providing the vocal backing to a musical stampede. There is no better opening. And already Rock City's foundations are shaking, and there's still half an hour of this to go.

And during that half an hour, as on any number of previous occassions, it's a mixture of old and new. All Our Friends Are Dead is the song that should be on Top of the Pops. Just so that the nation could witness the power of the band, and cos it would be an absolute scream to see all those people in the crowd trying to dance to it and smile their nice little smiles and clap wildly at the end. Nothing For Second is dedicated to "the bald bastard" which just happens once more to be Morrow of Iron Monkey who has just arrived. "It's Doug from Iron Monkeys' birthday today, and he's said he'll buy everyone a drink" reckons Paul, which turns out to be a lie, cos he didn't buy me one. Ok, I didn't ask, but hey! There's a guy in front of me who is seriously drunk at the moment, he's flailing around, toilet roll in one ear, finger in the other. He's gonna have such a headache in the morning. Hooked on Masturbation and All That I Ask end the set, after which Paul informs, they're all going upstairs to get pissed.

So, they've got the intro sorted. And you know, if they had the money, they'd have the finish sorted as well. Cos then they could buy a movable stage like some bands have, and fuelled by the energy arising from the sheer intensity of their live set, the stage would rise, levitate, and proceed to cruise out of the building with the band still aboard. On to the next victims. After all, they've already got the foundations creaking here. "Ladies and gentlemen, Medulla Nocte are leaving the building"