Dead Kennedys, O2 Academy 2, Birmingham - review

Opening for the legendary punk outfit were indie punk band Otherkin, armed with a selection of hip-swinging hits executed with absolute precision.

It's a tough slot having to open for a raucous punk band when your band has a lighter sound, but Otherkin managed to get even the most hardened punk fans shaking their hips throughout their set.

Without a lengthy introduction, Dead Kennedys stormed the stage to angst-ridden ode Forward to Death - filled with all the rage and bile they had coursing through their veins at the start of their career.

Despite undertaking a two month-long tour, Dead Kennedys put on an energetic show from start to finish, with vocalist Ron "Skip" Greer bouncing across the stage and flinging himself into the crowd at every opportunity.

Greer's rapport of the crowd was a mixture of hate and love. He announced that English football was not real football only moments into the show, and that he hated West Bromwich Albion before screeching through hit track Jock-O-Rama - one of the most punk acts I have ever seen.

Greer regularly incited boos, heckles and shocked gasps from the crowd - whether that be from telling them he is now a White House Correspondent, that the crowd are too old for punk or mashing up songs with Taylor Swift tracks - though he constantly met the negativity with a loud cackle and won them over instantly with their incredible set.

Smash hits Police Truck, Kill the Poor, Too Drunk to F*** and Nazi Punks F*** Off had the whole room kicking and screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs - united with a feeling of togetherness and disdain for the establishment.

The set was both effortlessly polished and gritty - with drummer DH Peligro not missing a single beat while guitarist Wast Bay Ray took the crowd by storm, performing furious riffs with ease.

Greers vocals were as loud and as proud as ever, switching between ear-piercing screeches and bellowing vocals at a moment's notice.

Performing not one, but two encores - Dead Kennedys treated fans to a rip-roaring cover of Elvis Presley's Viva Las Vegas, as well as fan-favourite tracks Holiday in Cambodia and Chemical Warfare.

Dead Kennedys proved that punk certainly isn't dead as they performed a variety of anti-establishment odes with the same ferocity they have always held dear.