Image: Billy Esquibel / BackStage360
The Adicts are one of the few bands that I find as timeless. Now at my spry age of 23 that probably doesn’t hold much weight; nevertheless I think these guys are great. The Adicts started their merry little band somewhere between the years of 1975 and 1976, and even those years had been up to debate. They also happen to be one of the few bands that have kept their original lineup throughout the years, with the addition of Mel Ellis’ (Bass) younger brother John Scruff Ellis who’s on guitar. Being part of the early punk days in England, specifically the city of Ipswich, they wanted to be set apart from the other generic bands that came and went in those years. So they took quite a bit of influence from Stanley Kubrick’s classic “A Clockwork Orange” and turned it into their own. Dressed as the famous little droogs, with all white garbs, combat boots, and a bowlers hat was weird even for punk at the time; with everyone stuck with safety pins, diy patches, and egg whites in their hair. They dared to be different and they excelled.
Image: Billy Esquibel / BackStage360
The Adicts image is one aspect of their collection as a whole. Now for the music, I could make the comparison of a carousel ride and a mad mob of excitement. It’s very difficult to be in a bad mood when listening to this 5 piece circus show if you like this sort of music that is. Listening to them on vinyl is one thing, but actually seeing them live is a different experience in general. The first punk concert that I had attended when I was 14 was the Adicts. I had heard their music and really liked it, and then I saw them and fell in love. I swear they threw out 50 pounds worth of confetti, joker cards, stringers, and stuffed animals; I had been blown away with the theatrics and stage presence, and that was 9 years ago. I’m happy to say that not much has changed in those years till now when I recently saw them at the Yost Theater in Santa Ana alongside with love canal and the crowd. The Adicts were the headliners, and they kept with same old carnival antics, where fun and excitement is a necessity. It’s difficult to be in a bad mood while this sort of performance is going on. Monkey the lead singer is jumping around the stage with a non-ceasing smile on his face throughout the night. They played all their classics, “Joker in the pack, “Steamroller,” and “Songs of praise.” They also played a new one from their new album that is to be released in August. The crowd always goes crazy when either Monkey throws out free stuff, or when Pete the guitarist goes into a solo. A lot of fun to be had at an Adicts show, and if they come around your parts I’d recommend seeing them. If it’s not your cup of tea, then the Yost hosts many different types of music as well, and the hall is a nice spot to see the musicians that you love, and acoustically speaking you’ll be amazed.
Image: Billy Esquibel / BackStage360
The Adicts will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will continue to go to their shows time and time again until they decide to finally close the circus. Hopefully, that won’t be anytime soon. Stay tuned in for the album review when it drops.
Vocals, Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren
Bass, Mel Ellis
Guitar: Pete Dee Davison, and John Scruff Ellis
Drums, Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison
You can find out more about upcoming Events at the YOST THEATER.
Maverick / BackStage360
Images: Billy Esquibel
