Dead Cross, at Sacramento's Ace of Spades: touring their album

Mike Patton, Dead Cross

If I tell you I'm "dead cross" with my not-lost-it-yet English accent, it's me showing anger, but in a kind way, a friendly way. You can tell a little kid that you are "dead cross" with them for making a mess, they know you're really annoyed, but they also know that you'll give them a hug anyway. I've no idea if that's where the name of the band came from, but that really sums up how I find Dead Cross: Mike Patton (Faith No More, Dave Lombardo (Suicidal Tendencies, Misfits, Slayer), Justin Pearson (Retox, and Michael Crain (Retox) 's new supergroup.

Dave Lombardo, Dead Cross

Dead Cross were on stage last night at Sacramento's Ace of Spades, one stop on their current tour. The music is loud, jumping-up-and-down angry, it's screaming-raging-ranting-hardcore punk... and yet there's a distinct, twisted sense-of-humour. It's like Mike Patton is schooling all the wannabe hardcore-deathcore-whatevercore vocalists out there, and showing them how it's done if you really can sing. That sort of humour. Tongue-in-cheek and having a load of fun in the process.

Mike Patton, Dead Cross

Last night's show was a succinct forty-five minutes of Dead Cross, enough time to play every one of the songs on their recently-released, self-titled album, plus a couple of new songs. Then the band came back for an encore, a cover of the Dead Kennedy's Nazi Punks F**k Off. (A few nights before, in Berkeley, Jello Biafra joined Dead Cross on stage for a very special Trump version of the song. I want that T-shirt.)

If you haven't seen or heard Dead Cross yet, catch them on tour and check out the album!

Dead Cross signed off with a teasing few bars of what Setlist.fm is saying was a Slayer song, but I swear I heard Faith No More...

(Last time I saw Mike Patton, he was dressed all in white and in the midst of a flower garden, at Aftershock, Gibson Ranch, in 2015. Story and photos here. That Sunday-morning-secret-show was something special.)

For more photos from last night's show, click here to go to the photo gallery.

Dead Cross, Ace of Spades, Sacramento California