It was a chilling night with the wind brushing over the 500 plus in attendance as complete darkness fell upon the packed house in Garden Grove for British punk rock legends, The Adicts.
THE ADICTS at THE GARDEN AMP | PHOTO by THE CORONA CHRONICLES
The kings of punk wrapped up a USA 2020 tour with their only event in Southern California with this show at the Garden Grove Amphitheater on Wednesday, February 12th. The brisk 50-degree weather on the weekday night didn’t keep the attendees from arriving early; packing it from the pit to the brim of venue capacity. 40-years of punk rock never looked as vibrant as vocalist, Keith “Monkey” Warren, stepped out on-stage in his signature white suit and cape for The Adicts’ opening song, Let’s Go.
The Adicts played all their classic hits including You’re All The Fools,Joker In The Pack and an encore presentation of Viva La Revolution. The audience enjoyed an evening of intense moshing and elbows to the face before The Adicts arrived on stage; fueled by performances from Starving Wolves, L.A. Machina, & Melted. No one in attendance was safe from the madness that sparked last night. During The Adicts’ closing set, I found myself engulfed in the moshing masses protecting my camera from the heels of death. Luckily, the only damage that came of my fall was a bruised left cheek. Amidst the moshing chaos and song chanting, we were successfully able to speak with some Adicts die-hards. Ivonne, an OC-local “Droog,” mentioned that this was her seventh or eighth time seeing The Adicts live and thrilled that it was, “Local and it ends early!” Two must-haves for a weeknight event.
On the other end of the venue was Eric, he was attending his tenth Adicts’ event. He said, “They were one of the first bands that got me into punk rock; whenever they are in the area… I try to catch them.” This was his treat to himself for missing them last time they were in Southern California. OC-local, Efrem Schulz, front-man for Death By Stereo and Voodoo Glow Skulls is also a life-long Adicts’ fan. He greeted a shirtless Monkey with a fiery hug following The Adict’s encore set. Monkey embraced the hug by pointing at Schulz and responding with, “We gotta do one of your shows soon.” The night was cold, but the band was electric and booming! Their 40-years of sonic vision was on full display; and their fans loved them for it!
Aside Monkey’s onstage antics, the band was simple mesmerising. The band is led by Pete Dee on Lead Guitar, Kid Dee on Drums, Highko Strom on Rhythm Guitar and Kiki Kabel on bass. It doesn’t matter if you’ve ever seen the Adicts; going to their show could be an experience like no other. In the end, good music is good music… and The Adicts displayed what a great show should look and sound like.
The ADICTS at The GARDEN AMP | PHTO by THE CORONA CHRONICLES
Monkey continued engaging with fans after the show, taking pictures and giving warm hugs to OC fans as he braved the cold, shirtless. When asked what he loved most about playing in the OC, Monkey replied, “The fans here really love us and we always enjoy coming back.”
This was the final show of the USA 2020 Tour. You can catch The Adicts next in Brighton, UK on February 28th.
