'COMMUNITY' BEST

University, Manchester, UK 31.March

WHOEVER said music and politics don't mix should be forced to watch this band before chowing down on their words. Leave your preconceptions at the door, please. ADF are here to make your feet move and your brain think.

They've only played one track before Master D asks: "Will the Real Great Britain step forward?" and the band throws down the best rock'n'roll single of the new millenium. Diamond-hard beats crash against Dr Das' bruising basslines and Manchester is alive to the sound of Rude Britannia. By the time ADF fire into "Naxalite", all possible resistance has been crushed, the hall dancing and thinking as one. "We have taken the power! And the land is ours!" cries D. He's right. It won't be long before the entire UK submits to ADF's unyielding breakbeat juggernaut.

But the fun is only just begun. "Taa Deem" sees the entire band larging it, jumping round like the entire stage has been transformed into a inflatable bouncy castle. The crowd respond with a burst of skanking not seen since the days of ska back in the early Eighties.

ADF aren't about egos. They're about community. They share the stage with young DJ prodigy Akhtarvata, who demonstrates his mic skills with a blistering rap over "Charge".

"Buzzin'" delivers more high energy excitement, before Dr Das dedicates "Riddim I Like" to "Gary Mountfield, also known as Mani, also known as God." He's being too modest. If Mani was the role model for a generation of aspiring bass players, the good Doctor isn't far behind. Finding the frequencies that other bassists can't reach, it's Das who blends dub and jungle into the unique sound that's at the core of the ADF live experience. Right now bands should be dedicating songs to him.

But all this is just a precursor to the undisputed highlight of the night. "Free Satpal Ram" rocks so hard it takes our breath away. As the crowd echoes the song's lyrics, ADF really are partying for the right to fight. One day they'll never have to play the song again. Until then, they'll continue to play it like their lives depend on it.

In an era when dance music is rapidly disappearing up its own arse and most of rocks finest are becoming increasingly self-absorbed, ADF are our brightest hopes.

Mad as hell and funky as f***, they're the voice of the real Great Britain.

Robert Collins, Melody Maker