Gig Review: Midnight Unleash Hell in the New Cross Inn
London, UK - Aug. 1st 2025
The walls of the New Cross Inn in London were sweating. Not metaphorically. Literally dripping with the hot condensation of a crowd that came to bleed, scream, and raise hell for one of the most ferocious underground metal acts to ever crawl out of the industrial backstreets of Cleveland, Ohio.
That’s right, Midnight were back in town on August 1st, 2025, and they brought with them a full-throttle hellish blitzkrieg that turned the venue into a boiler room of chaos, riffs, and raw, unfiltered blackened speed metal.
If you were there last time, you already know how hard they hit. This round? Even filthier. Even faster. Even sweatier. The pit was a swirling hurricane of elbows, boots, beer, and body heat. And honestly, this was one of those shows where if you didn’t leave with a bruise and a story, you were probably standing in the hallway trying to figure out your PayPal settings so you could purchase some merch like I was.
Blackened Speed Metal Riot in London
Midnight opened the set like a steel pipe to the face with, the crowd immediately erupting into the kind of primal chaos you normally associate with collapsing civilisations. Athenar, masked and fully charged with his signature brand of sleaze-fueled speed worship, wasted zero time in setting the tone. Two minutes in and someone was already crowd surfing. Four minutes in, ice cubes were flying through the air. 10 minutes in? It was a battlefield.
When they ripped into “Fucking Speed and Darkness” the guitar tone was razor-sharp, dirty in all the right ways, which was shocking considering the amount of carnage unfolding both on and off stage. Athenar’s vocals barked through the mix with that snarling venom fans know and love, cutting clean through to the bone. And yes, the acoustics were brilliant as always at the New Cross Inn. Gritty without being muffled, but still intense. Whoever’s behind the desk there knows how to mic a drum kit.
Now, the big curiosity this time around was the introduction of Midnight’s new guitarist (or at least new to us), a mystery shredder that Athenar introduced only as “Enduro”. And man, that name’s doing some serious heavy lifting. Not only did the guy play with the ferocity of a jackhammer on meth, but Athenar hinted at his… let’s say “extracurricular stamina,” hence the name Enduro…short for Endurance! Enduro earned his place. Flawless transitions, fluid solos, no dropped notes, and energy for days. Definitely not a guy you’d want to challenge to a post-gig afterparty.
Mid-set, we got the black ‘n’ roll banger “Black Rock’n’Roll”, which had the entire crowd banging in unison like a ritual offering. And just when you thought you could breathe, they launched into “Cleveland Metal”, a newer track from the absolutely filthy 2025 release, Steel, Rust and Disgust. It’s fast, mean, and soaked in rust-belt grime. A love letter to their roots and a middle finger to trend-chasing nonsense. The riff on this one alone could break ribs.
Crowd Carnage, Steam and Sweat - Pure Metal Mayhem
And the pit. Oh god, the pit. It was a circle of drunken chaos. One guy tried to stage dive, but mostly just faceplanted. Another guy got elbowed and laughed it off with a bloody nose. Beer cups were being launched like mortar rounds. At one point, I’m pretty sure someone threw a shoe. I spent half the set pressed against a guy who was both dripping in sweat and, for some reason, trying to protect his ladyfriend. They made the decision of being at the front though.
The air was thick with the scent of balls, leather, and beer-soaked skin. The windows steamed up like the inside of a rotting sauna. Even Athenar noticed, shouting into the crowd, “You sick fucks are steaming up the goddamn walls!” We were. It was vile. It was glorious.
Classic tracks like “Expect Total Hell”, “White Hot Fire”, and “All Hail Hell” sent the crowd into repeated frenzies. Crowd surfers didn’t stop.
Midnight Merch and the PayPal Struggle of 2025
Look. I tried to buy a Midnight shirt. I really did. But thanks to the soul-crushing torture device that is mobile PayPal login on an iPhone, I spent a solid fifteen minutes standing next to the merch table trying to reset a password that may or may not have existed. Eventually, Chern (hero and enabler of poor financial choices) bought it for me. The takeaway? Technology is bullshit. Bring cash next time, kids. Otherwise go check’em out on Bandcamp and buy buy BUY!
Fan Interaction, Raw Speed, and That Unholy Stench of Real Metal
As the band tore through “T.A.P.” and “Endless Slut”, it was impossible not to admire their sheer stamina. This band doesn’t just play fast; they stay tighter than a nuns pooper, while sprinting through riff after riff with the precision of seasoned assassins. “Evil Like a Knife” and “Vomit Queens” brought some of the filthiest groove and nastiest punk-tinged speed of the night.
And then came the two titans. The songs that absolutely define Midnight’s ethos. “Satanic Royalty” and “You Can’t Stop Steel”. Played back-to-back with no pause, it felt like the walls of New Cross were vibrating. Everyone screamed the lyrics like it was the gospel. You could taste the sweat in the air.
They closed the set with “Unholy and Rotten”, a final act of desecration before slamming their gear down and walking off. Except Athenar who was carried to the front door by the crowd. No encore. No need. They hit. They burned. They left.
Midnight Live Shows Are The Best!
This gig a warzone. A celebratory bloodletting. Midnight are one of the few bands left that live and breathe the filth they play. No gimmicks. No flashy production. Just riffs, sweat, leather, and speed in a dive bar on the knifes edge of London.
Athenar is still one of the most reliable frontmen in metal, he’s got the energy, the roar, and the body of a taunt Swedish man with a stage presence to command any room. And while the band crushed their old classics, it’s clear that the new material from Steel, Rust and Disgust stands tall alongside the veterans. “Cleveland Metal” might end up as iconic as their early work. It already hits like a classic.
If you missed it, I feel bad for you. If you were there, you’re probably still sore. Midnight at New Cross Inn was everything you want from a blackened speed metal show. Dirty, loud, violent, fast, and absolutely unforgettable.
Written by: Chort the Crop Infestor
“Hi, I’m Chort I infest crops and listen to Black Metal!”
