Continuing the Croft's (and Deadpunk Promotions in particular) recent spate of excellent punk bills, another trip across the Severn was called for to witness the debut UK tour by AC4.  Boasting Dennis Lyxzen and David Sandstrom together again for the first time since the heyday of Refused and having released one of the best albums of the last few years, this was as absolute must-see. 

And from the minute you entered the venue tonight they certainly didn't disappoint. It's rare that headlining bands watch all the support acts from the crowd but that was the case here as Dennis stood anonymously amongst us clapping a whooping it up like any other fan would. 

First to receive this special attention were local lads Steve French And The Big Cats who managed to mix some fast thrashy hardcore with hip-hop beats to great aplomb. Well worth a listen as their free (burned on demand for any punter who wanted a copy) CD has subsequently further proved.  Next to receive Mr Lyxzen's applause were Cardiff's A Thousand Arrows with a marked change of style.  Their Helmet cum Deftones cum Cave In stylings certainly hit the spot and I could see them going places.  But ultimately this all served as a mere appetizer for the very, very tasty main course.

As AC4 take to the stage and rip through opener 'Fuck The Pigs' in under a minute, you get the sense that this is going to be something special.  By the time they've belted out 'Detonate', Dennis has started on some brilliantly self-deprecating banter and the whole night becomes a great mixture of brilliant music and a bunch of guys having a great deal of fun playing it.  They fly through pretty much everything they've ever recorded, mixing the serious sentiment of their lyrics with tongue-in-cheek banter, typified by songs like 'I Will Survive' and 'Let's Go To War'.  Despite their iconic pasts Dennis makes it quite clear early on that there's no chance of 'New Noise' being played tonight, jokingly accusing David of forcing him to play pretentious music in their previous band.  But to be honest, it's great to see the band letting their current music do the talking as they are shit-hot, Dennis in particular flying around the stage like an absolute nutter; high-kicking, mic-swinging and monitor-balancing like there's no tomorrow.  They also end their set proper with a real surprise - a rather different version of Motorhead's 'Orgasmatron'.  A strange choice for a band of this style you might think but it was a perfect finale.  Not content to let them go, the crowd coax them back for a couple more songs, which they seem almost embarrassed about. Anyway, three minutes later they really are done and everyone present seems to be beaming from ear to ear.  Before I finish I must also give mention to guitarist Karl Backman and drummer Jens Norden who play the straight men to the Dennis and David show with individually outstanding performances.

This was probably one of the most enjoyable gigs I've ever been to in my long history of gig going, you really got caught up in the totally infectious sense of fun that is the AC4 set, which just also happens to feature some of the best hardcore you'll hear right now.  I really do hope this turns out to be a long-term project because I cannot wait for whatever they do next.