DEAD CROSS | The Observatory, Santa Ana | 10.08.2017

Mike Patton's first outing with Dead Cross proved to be a great night. Only Patton could front a hardcore band whilst wearing a bright orange hula shirt. 

Tour Poster | Eric Livingston

The set also included two new songs not featured on the recent album My Perfect Prisoner and an as yet untitled track, and their encore was a rendition of the Slayer song South Of heaven.  The reactions of those who witnessed the performance are all positive and there is a wealth of coverage on social media. 


Set List

Seizure And Desist
Idiopathic
Obedience School
Shillelagh
New Song
Bela Legosi's Dead
Divine Filth
Grave Slave
The Future Has Been Cancelled
My Perfect Prisoner
Gag Reflex
Church Of The Motherfuckers

South Of Heaven

Reviews

OC Weekly
Dead Cross Comes Out Swinging at the Observatory

Patton was a Tasmanian Devil on stage, sporadic and full of rage, speed, and musical passion as usual. His energy paired well with and the rage and aggression could be heard and felt from the powerhouse, larger than life drumming style that Lombardo is known for. You could not just hear the drums but feel the drum beats in your chest and knees, Lombardo made the walls and floor of the Observatory vibrate with his insane drumming skills.


Fans were pumped and pitting for most of the performance, as Patton flailed and yelled the lyrics running around the stage, as the music and its underlying notes and echoes filled the venue walls. What makes Dead Cross unique is the approach. It is sporadic and unpredictable, in your face and at short times abstract, with Patton using different vocal styles and a unique set of microphones, one made out of a walkie talkie.

California Rocker
Mike Patton Debuts as Frontman with Dave Lombardo’s Dead Cross at Observatory for First Show

Patton, whose phenomenal voice was put to use as the hardcore frontman, captivated the crowd. His outfit was pretty offbeat as he wore a Hawaiian-style shirt with grey shorts, knee socks and summer shoes. But appearance aside, once the audience heard the music, and saw the effort, the crowd was enthusiastic with moshers and fans throwing fists in the air.

Metal Assault
Seizures and Chaos: Dead Cross plays First Show with Mike Patton fronted lineup

Performance-wise, it was clear that Dead Cross was more than ready to deliver their 100 percent on this stage. Their first show with this lineup meant a lot to them and they showed as much with a top-notch rendition of the debut album and the newer tunes. Mike Patton was in his element as vocalist and frontman, Lombardo was firing away relentlessly on the drums in the background, and as Patton rightly pointed out during the show, the two younger members Justin Pearson and Michael Crain inspired Patton and Lombardo to extract the very best out of themselves to keep up with the pace and intensity.

New Noise 

Hot off the heels of their mind-bending self-titled debut album, Dead Cross’ first live performance was a goddamn rager. The band’s music is hyper aggressive yet quirky, and gives off a punk meets metal in a late night monster mash kind of vibe. It’s wild enough to prompt mosh pits from the youngsters, but weird enough to study and spazz out to with the music nerds in the back. Mike Patton lashed out across the stage from the get go, screaming and shrieking his brains out with gusto.

Photos

Reel Negative

Albert Licano

Becky DiGiglio

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