It’s been a hot minute since The Adicts have played Los Angeles, but the Droog Army was out in full force, ready to greet them for the first time in four years.
First established as a performing arts theatre in 1926, The Belsasco has been called a house of God and a dungeon of debauchery; this place radiates scorpionic energies. As we pulled up to the venue, the line wrapped around the building, fans anxiously waiting, and braving the day’s hot weather.
The place looked like a scene out of “A Clockwork Orange.” These fans were fully committed; full face paint, white shirts, black pants with no shortage of bowler hats. Tonight would be the first of three SoCal shows, and many young fans would be seeing The Adicts for the first time. I took to the line and asked three friends who appeared to be in their late teens, “Hey guys; what are you fellas most excited for tonight?”
They blurted out answers like troublemakers in a high school class. The first almost shouted, “What? Are you kidding me? It’s the freakin’ Adicts! Why wouldn’t you be excited?” In my head, I agreed with this truthful statement. The second exclaimed, “I’ve seen Adicts videos on YouTube, and their shows look like a punk party filled with confetti and balls!” The third explained, “Actually we want to hit the pit and dance around like idiots to ‘Viva!’ Being best friends, we have been waiting for this epic night for a very long time.” This was more than a show for these three; it was their “Stand By Me” moment!
The doors opened and we ventured inside, and wow! This place is gorgeous! The cathedral-like arches and details makes it feel like time stopped, giving a sense of history to The Belasco. The scene was set for the Droog Army to go to war. Ready to sing, party, and dance their asses off in the pit alongside their punk family! The lights went down and the crowd started cheering.
Cake Eater straight of the OC hit the stage first. With an angry cake as their logo, this hardcore band Jean-Claude Van Dammed our asses, going full blood sport, kicking our chest in with hard-hitting drums and heavy riffs. The band’s vocals had a perfect one-two punch of angry with a pinch of scratchy. The stage presence had harmonious chaos that left you screaming for more.
We caught up with guitarist Justin Bullock at the merch table after their set and he offered us some chocolate cake – and it was freakin’ delicious! Bullock told us the inspiration for the rad Cake Eater logo is a tribute to the hardcore band Mad Ball and punk rockers MxPx. Cake Eater’s entire set was energy driven and never let up – the perfect dessert before dinner!
With a quick set change we got charged up for the next band. Enter Sweat. Hailing from Los Angeles, the band is fronted by vocalist Tuna Tardugno, and joined with members of Graf Orlock, Ghost Limb, and Dangers. From the start Sweat hit us with disco cadence with influences ranging from the Cro-Mags to Thin Lizzy.
Sweat gave us a knuckle punch of hardcore, a slap to the face with some hard rock, and kicked us in the balls with punk rock! They are tight as a group playing off each other, have a fun and interactive time. Tardugno jumped on and off the stage, running behind the drums, hyped up the crowd; the group left us wanting to party with Sweat all night long. My personal favorites were “Hit and Run,” “Wipers,” and “Jokes on Me.”
Next up was South Central natives, Generacion Suicida. There was such a huge group of fans for their set; you would have imagined it was their show. Releasing some of the best KBD punk, friends Tony, Kiwi, Mario, and Elias gave us the Latin American punk rock we wanted! Singing in Spanish, they brought a haunted sound. This set was one of the most hard-hitting sets I’ve seen. A G.S. fan I talked with said, “I stayed in the pit the entire time and it was one of the craziest mosh pits I’ve been in. It felt like I was gasping for air, and G.S. gave it back to me!” A direct testament to the tight riffs, the drumming was on point and kept everyone in pocket. The guitars were like a hot knife cutting butter as they slayed the crowd. Fans were taken up a notch, creating a mosh pit ready to destroy. Well done, Generacion Suicida!
The final scene was ready to play out. The Droog Army – already sweaty – packed themselves tighter than an Olympian’s spandex. The crowd sang the background music in unison as they waited for The Adicts to take the stage. The lights dimmed and the intro music began to play. The crowd cheered so loud, I could feel it ringing in my head. One by one, members of The Adicts took to the stage. When Monkey come out, the crowd lost it and went ape-shit crazy and was the loudest it had been all night.
Like a human bat, Monkey opened his majestic wings, wearing his colorful polka-dot suit and joker make-up. He turned around, revealing a giant smile on the massive wings – a perfect metaphor for one of the best front-men, whose charisma and charm will lead his Droog Army through night. With so many notable front-men, Monkey’s showmanship stands alone. It’s crazy to think they have been doing this for the last 40+ years!
Of course, The Adicts would not be complete without the indestructible Pete Dee on lead guitar and Kid Dee on drums. Pete has been recovering from a very bad car wreck, but none of that was evident during the show.
He told us a few weeks ago, “When the adrenaline kicks in, it’s a good painkiller.
When I see everybody singing the songs and smiling faces and the tears as well, because it’s what’s amazing. Adicts gigs, there’s a lot of emotions in the crowd. I see grown men crying; it’s wonderful. It’s going to be very emotional.” He was not wrong.
The band covered their full discography, hitting the battlefield with “Let’s Go,” followed by “Joker in the Pack,” where Monkey threw his signature cards into the crowd. Fans’ jeering and crazed smiles showed they were ecstatic to take home a small memento from the show.
“Numbers” began and the entire general admission ground floor had turned into swirling of soup. I went deep to the center of the mosh pit to join the Droog Army, and it was a mad house! “Steamroller” began and I felt the energy pop like tasty bottle of Prosecco. Wow! The pit took off in a counterclockwise chaotic circle, dancing and punching each other on a large scale that felt more like a riot than a concert. Droog Army veterans kept the crowd in order while every fan had the best time of their lives, singing every song word for word. The craziest song to be in the pit for goes to “Troubadour.” Great work to the fans that lay it down for The Adicts.
Monkey and his crew bring epic amount of visuals – from pouring beer into a hat during “Who Spilt My Beer,” to confetti, streamers, and a multitude of giant blow up balls floating through the crowd – there was no shortage of antics.
The Adicts ended the night with crowd favorites “Viva La Revolution” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Defying all odds as to what is punk, they gave us a show with everything we wanted and more. This so felt like New Year’s in Times Square and Carnival in Brazil slam danced and had a baby and The Droog Army were its proud parents.
We caught up with Monkey after the show and asked for his thoughts on playing Los Angeles and The Belasco, and he said, “’Home is where the heart is.’ (Pliny the Elder AD 23-79). If that ancient quote is true, then our hearts and our home were at The Belasco on Friday. Viva LA.” Take a bow, Adicts. Thank you for putting on one hell of a show! The extended punk family thanks you.
If you have never experienced The Adicts, make sure you see them live the next time they are in town.
