Hard-rock supergroup Dead Cross have been in the news a bit lately. From being detained and arrested by US police while on tour in Texas, to having to cancel a concert after frontman Mike Patton of Faith No More injured himself in a skateboarding accident, they’ve been turning heads wherever they go. Now, they’ve raised a few eyebrows after getting a punk legend onstage to perform a reworked version of an anti-fascist classic.
Performing at the UC Theatre in Berkeley, California on Wednesday night, all four members of the group, including ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, all wore shirts with the words ‘Nazi Trumps Fuck Off!’ emblazoned across them, complete with an image of Donald Trump’s face crossed out – a clear reference to the famous Dead Kennedys song ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’.
“We’ve got a couple of surprises for you guys. Number one is about to start in just a fucking second,” said guitarist Michael Crain, before frontman Mike Patton introduced the Dead Kennedys singer by simply saying “Two words; Jello. Biafra.”
Jello Biafra appeared onstage amidst rapturous applause, before announcing in his trademark San Franciscan accent: “Mariah Carey was supposed to do this song, but that turned out to be fun with fake news. So, now more than ever, Nazi Trumps, fuck off!” Immediately afterwards, the group launched into a raucous rendition of the legendary punk song, with Jello Biafra that right now, more than ever, American politics could do with a full-blown Dead Kennedys reunion.
The reworking of ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’ comes at a rather fitting time, with the recent race-fuelled riots in Charlottesville, Virginia in the US, following which, Spotify announced they were removing white supremacist acts from their streaming service in a move to help curb the spread of hate-filled rhetoric.
Check out footage of Jello Biafra performing ‘Nazi Trumps Fuck Off’ with Dead Cross, below.
