The Adicts – at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA

When I first heard about this show I was totally stoked. The Adicts are a hugely iconic band. You can go to any punk rock show around the globe and your sure too see an Adicts t shirt or patch floating around. And even if your not a huge fan you know about the make up, the glitter, the poker  cards and the catchy songs about being a Bad Boy and wanting a Chinese Takeaway. That's because the Adictsare not only an amazing band that have stuck together for nearly 40 years, they are one of the funnest and most energetic live act you will ever see.

The San Francisco show was nicely placed on a Saturday night which was great because most people are obviously off on a sunday and are able to really let loose. I showed up early as I usually do for big shows and right when i got in the general area of the venue I was greeted by a sea of mohawks, studded vest and glitzy glamour babes. As cheesy as it may sound I got that “old school punk rock feeling” very quickly and knew it was going to be one hell of a night.

Doors opened at 8pm and the crowd starting pouring in, it didn't really get too packed till well after 9 because little or no one had heard of the support act Brothers of Brazil that aside there was still more than enough people there after the doors opened and many of whom were teenagers. For me personally it's always good to see young people at punk shows, some kids even had full make up on, it was cool. The general buzz and atmosphere of the place was good, there was people piling in, beers were making rounds and the even the background music was good. Before The Brothers went on a friend and I went over to the merch tables. The Adicts had some great stuff, a lot of cool t shirts, badges and even a make up set, I think i even seen a miniature guitar with an Adicts logo on it.

Ok, it's nine o cock, and it's time for the Brothers of Brazil to take stage, I really didn't know what to expect and it was a little surprising to see they were a two piece. One member sang and played guitar while the other drummed and sang. It was different and interesting. The Brothers are unique band that are difficult to describe but if you can imagine Devo with a lot of samba mixed through you'd get a pretty good idea of what this band is like. Once they were finished there was a big rush outside and to the bar for that last minute smoke and a good chug before the men in white took stage.

After the support band finished a huge screen lowered across the stage but you could still partially see The Adicts tour crew. As they were busy changing equipment and getting the stage ready for the punk rock legends the crowd was building and chanting, Viva La Revolution was the most common chant of the night I would think, and thats no surprise it's a total gem of a song.

Than out of nowhere in the middle of all the excitement the screen rises and out come the Suffolk boys, all but the lead singer that is. Each member was dressed in white with a black hat and a studded belt, sometimes when bands have a look it doesn't always work but it works beautifully for these guys and adds a lot to the whole performance. Pete Dee, the guitarist and Kid Dee the drummer did all the talking for the first few minutes as the band started playing an introduction for the front of the band Keith Monkey, who appeared on stage moments later head to toe in Christmas lights and his usual iconic make up. It was awesome. Monkey looked to be in great form laughing and smiling flicking hundreds of cards into the wanting crowd and throwing confetti everywhere. It was really exciting and everyone was singing along.

They started their set with the classic “Joker in the Pack” as glitter and playing cards showered the entire venue. The energy was intense and for a band doing it as long as they have it was inspiring to see. I believe it was Pete Dee who mentioned they've been playing for 37 years, and while any band or at least most bands are inspiring, a band like The Adicts who have doing it for so long and clearly still love what they are doing are even more so.

They played a mix of they're old classics “Steam Roller”, “Chinese Takeaway”, “Numbers”, Viva La Revolution” and others mixed nicely with a number of their new songs from the 2012 release “All The Young Droogs”.

There was never a dull moment, throughout their show, between songs Monkey would change outfits and had an array of different hats, light fixtures, bouncing balls and umbrellas that would shot confetti to keep the crowd going. The music was not only really good but really fun, lots of woos and aghhs even for those punks like me who didn't know every single song it wasn't too difficult to sing along too. The interaction between the people there and the band was also really good, The band would reach out at fans or toss them papers or balls making it really exciting and comfortable for everyone involved.

Its hard to pick my favorite moments of the night but it would have to be between “Chinese Takeaway” when the band had large colored toilet paper style rolls spinning all over the crowd and venue or when they played “You'll Never Walk Alone” and there was about 5 massive beach balls flying around on top of everyone. By the end of the whole thing the place was covered in papers and cards and everyone was trashed. I remember the doors at slims opening just as the band finished and that cool breeze coming in was something else.

Another thing I'd like to add to this whole thing before ending is how cool it was to have had it an all ages event. There was one girl on the side of the stage that had be five or six years old completely dressed the part with full make up and all singing to every song and it was really cool too see. Anyone who thinks Punk is dead needs get a brain transplant. Even though it was just the other day, I can't wait too see these guys again. I guess you could say, I'm Adicted.

             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

-Brian McCann Jr.-
Big Wheel Special Correspondent

 

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