In today’s world of social media and i-this and that, certain things get lost in translation. Certain words are used too commonly and improperly. So-much-so, they somewhat lose their meaning; and they literally become watered-down. One word comes to mind, that’s icon. Luckily, there are some heroes and musical legends that live up to the bill, one of those bands is still taking names and making noise. They’re from Ipswich, Suffolk, England; and that band is The Adicts.
Punk rock in many ways embodied total freedom: in its infancy, the only uniform was that there was no uniform. You could dress any way you wanted, play any kind of music you wanted… it was an epic revolutionary turn from the corporate rock and pop of the time.
The Legendary Adicts Logo
One of the most striking bands to emerge from the late ‘70s was The Adicts. They had plenty of competition to get noticed. There was the Sex Pistols, The Damned and… oh yeah, The Clash. Yet somehow the band persevered to be one of the juggernauts of the genre. Sporting a style mimicking the Droogs from A Clockwork Orange, their upbeat music and fun attitude lyrically set them apart from the pack (no pun intended).
Despite having two relatively long periods of inactivity over the years, they have a long and distinguished discography, and since 2002, they’ve been consistently putting out music and touring, much to the delight of music fans everywhere. Best known fo rthe classics like Viva La Revolution, Get Adicted, Numbers, Distortion, Spank Me Baby, I;m Not Scared of You, Joker in the Pack, and Let’s Go, Chinese Takeaway, Bad Boy, Tokyo (produced by The Vapors’ frontman David Fenton) and their cover of Marlene Dietrich’s Falling In Love Again, to name a few. Their fans NEVER feel short changed when they attend an Adicts show.
The ADICTS LIVE
The MANY FACES of MONKEY and The Adicts
In a recent interview with TNN RADIO, Monkey said “it’s important to the entire band that we put out the best effort we can every single night. Every show is different, but the desire to put on the best show possible is the same no matter where we play.” Monkey went on to say “I want everyone to feel they got their money’s worth when they come to our shows.”
The Man, the Myth, The Legend of Monkey!
Collectively, the band is electric on stage. Like most bands with any kind of longevity, they’ve had some movement within the band, but the core of the band remains intact. The Adicts feature Keith “Monkey” Warren (lead vocals), Mel “Spider” Ellis (bass), “Pete Dee” Davison (guitar), Michael “Kid Dee” Davison (drums). The thing about the Adicts, they sounds great, but there’s more to it when you go to see them. You literally get a show, their performance doesn’t lack in theatrics, it’;s dug into the soul of the band. They make people scream for more than their music, and their onstage antics have propelled them to the top of the legends totem pole.
Their latest release, And It Was So! features the single If You Want It, joining the pantheon of classic tunes, Their live shows are mischievous happenings; a guaranteed good time! They’re just finishing up a long tour, but after a very short break, they;re off to another leg throughout Europe. If you want to see living history, come to the Garden Grove Amphitheater February 12th and check out the Adicts.
