Medusa Live At Musicland
It's been a slow year for local gigs so when the opportunity to see Medusa presented itself I was keen to go. They've been a favourite of mine for some time and are one of the most dependable live bands around.
When I arrived at Musicland I couldn't believe what I saw. There were people everywhere meaning it was busier than I expected. Once I get inside I immediately feel old as the majority of the crowd looked 16.
It turns out that this was a charity event which predominantly featured up and coming bands, not the best news I'd ever heard. Unfortunately it only got worse. For reasons I cannot explain there was a lunatic on the microphone who seemed to be in charge. He failed at his first job as neither my mates or I had any idea what the charity was. I assume his other job was to make it unbearable for everyone, something he succeeded at doing. To give you an idea this guy would continually say suggestive comments to band members presumably as an attempt to be funny. I'm unsure whether this guy was gay or not, either way he was annoying and inappropriate. I am not one for political correctness but he was saying these remarks to what looked like kids which was just wrong. Mercifully Wez (bassist and frontman of Medusa) rocked up with his unique brand of humour providing a much needed distraction.
The first band I got to see was Beserker Fox. They were young guys who's sound resembled Children Of Bodom. Unfortunately the singer couldn't go to long without swearing which didn't endear himself to the crowd. They did play The Trooper which fell flat mostly because I'd seen Maiden not that long ago.
Fearing all may be lost Valentine took to the stage and were a welcome relief. This all girl band showed a ton of potential. A mate said they reminded him of Nirvana and I couldn't agree more. Tragically they only played 4 songs at most before the useless MC cut them off without a chance to say anything. I so wanted to punch him out at that point.
It was then a return to heavy metal with Zatarras Vengeance. A bit brutal for my ears but I could see them going somewhere. I was impressed when they were able to go into a impromptu jam after their guitarist broke a string and they needed to fill in some time while he found a replacement.
Up next was punk band Rankwaste. Even though my mate said they were the worst band he'd ever seen, I enjoyed their set. Every song was short, aggressive and full of energy, exactly what I'd expect from a punk band which gave them credibility in my eyes.
Finally Medusa came on. They again delivered and it was a shame they didn't play longer. Medusa always put in everything no matter who the crowd is (Wez was covered in sweat by the end of their set). The highlights were the new songs Kiss Of Judas and another ultra heavy track written by their drummer Natalie which I don't know the name of. I'd like to be able to say when their new album will be released, all I heard was "God Only Knows" when talk of a date came up.
For the rest of our lives my mates and I will talk about how the night should have ended there. However it wasn't to be as we were there long enough to see Outta Control. This hardcore punk redefined the word terrible. They were just noise and had no place coming on after any band let alone Medusa. The lead singer didn't even know the lyrics half the time. I wouldn't have wanted to be the one who made the decision that they'd close the evening.
It's a pleasure to see Medusa any time and they showed what a real band can do. Sadly this was a poorly organised night. Still I'm sure I'll be seeing Medusa again soon - hopefully next time it will be with better bands.
