Nocturne ( The Singer Not the Song ) The Nocturne was a conceptual being imprisoned inside another universe along with Sutekh and a number of other godlike beings who were a threat to the Doctor ' s universe . ( COMIC : " The Jazz Monster " ) Biology . The Nocturne was a conceptual being made of living sound . Its true form was that of a monstrous worm - like creature which towered over humans . It had multiple legs , eyes and mandibles and its body was a red colour with a pale outline . ( COMIC : " The Jazz Monster " ) Powers and abilities . The Nocturne , like any conceptual being , was according to the Tenth Doctor , " very versatile " . It could manipulate sound for various and creative purposes . On Wupatki , the Nocturne hid itself as a virus inside songs broadcast from a radio station . The virus could infect the Shan ' tee , another race of conceptual beings made of living sound . Once it took over their bodies , it deformed them and they gained a Grim Reaper - like appearance and became mindless killing machines . The virus quickly learned how to infect human s and could even adapt to different counterattacks . ( COMIC : " The Singer Not the Song " ) On Earth , the Nocturne could possess people and link them together to form an incubation field that allowed to fully materialise physically in N - Space . The people it possessed could fire electrical arcs that incinerated the target . It also formed a shield of solid sound around an entire building to prevent anyone from escaping . ( COMIC : " The Jazz Monster " ) Biography . At some point , the Nocturne was trapped , along with many other dangerous entities , in another dimension . These other aliens included Sutehk , an old enemy of the Doctor . Though it tried many times to bargain with the Osiran , Sutehk always refused . The Nocturne thus decided to try to find its own way back into the Doctor ' s universe . ( COMIC : " Old Girl " ) Its first attempt took place in the far future . It took over a space radio station that broadcast songs across the whole galaxy . The Nocturne hid itself as a virus in songs that were broadcast to the planet Wupatki , a gas giant inhabited by Shan ' tee , another race of peaceful conceptual entities whose sound - based physiology made them the ideal hosts . The virus began infecting the Shan ' tee and turning them into Nocturne soldiers . The Tenth Doctor , who was visiting Wupatki along with Gabby Gonzalez , discovered the source of the infection and travelled to the station . Before he could find the culprit , the Nocturne deleted itself from the station ' s database and successfully covered its tracks before fleeing . The Doctor was able to cure the Shan ' tee and restore peace to Wupatki . ( COMIC : " The Singer Not the Song " ) The Nocturne ' s next attempt to enter the universe took place on Earth in the past , in New Orleans , where jazz was just starting to bud . It began possessing people with musical talent such as Paradisa and Roscoe Ramon , with whom Cindy Wu had fallen in love . It then sealed the building off with a force field and linked the people it was possessing together , creating an " incubation field " that would allow it to materialise on Earth . However , the Tenth Doctor and Gabby once again thwarted this attempt but only partially : Paradisa and Roscoe , still possessed , managed to escape and everyone inside the building , except for the Doctor , Gabby and Cindy , had been killed by the Nocturne . It resurfaced two days later in Chicago , where Roscoe was supposed to have a song recorded . The Nocturne planned to plant itself in the song that would then be sold across the world in order to possess more people like it had done on Wupatki . The Doctor and Gabby had managed to travel there the day before using the TARDIS and successfully repelled the Nocturne . This freed Paradisa from its control but it killed Roscoe . ( COMIC : " The Jazz Monster " ) The Nocturne , along with all the other " gods " , was released from their prison by Sutehk and converged on the Shining Horizon to kill the Doctor . He managed to contain them inside a suspension field , but the Nocturne broke free and prepared to kill Cindy Wu . Before it could , Sutehk stopped it and disintegrated it , killing the Nocturne . ( COMIC : " Old Girl " )