The Adicts – The Dickies – The Henchman – Masked Villians – Pogo Brats – at The Key Club – Hollywood, CA

Hollywood’s Sunset Strip is a diverse environment where weirdos and characters of all types flock to and inhabit, especially during the weekend. Friday night was no different, except for the many hyper Punk kids running all over strip and seen on every corner heading towards The Key Club in West Hollywood. Along with The Adicts that night, The Dickies, The Henchmen, The Masked Villains, and The Pogo Brats would also play.

South Central’s Pogo Brats opened up the show, bringing L.A street Punk into the venue that night. Members of the audience consider the band as one of L.A’s few best street punk bands, with a sound made up of the mixture of Oi and Street. Pogo Brats’ set was short, but they did not fail to impress members of the audience. Their attitude and fierce sound gained them new fans and recognition. The Big Wheel reporters that were at this show thought they were one of the best opening bands they had seen on a bill in a number of years -look for this band when they play in your area!

L.A natives The Masked Villains played second, and similar to The Adicts, base their appearance according to the characters in Stanley Kubrick’s "A Clockwork Orange". The band typically plays songs which contain lyrical content in reference to the movie, and which they went on to play at The Key Club. People in the audience were impressed by how young the band looked, and how coordinated their set and sound was. The Masked Villains were young but knew what they were doing, and rightfully held their spot in the line-up that night.

When The Henchmen went on, the band members seemed much more relaxed and calm than the previous night. Though the songs were played just as fast and aggressive as they were in Anaheim, the crowd seemed to stand back and enjoy the performance instead by simply observing. The Key Club was just as packed as the Anaheim show, but because it was larger, there was enough room for people to move around their arms without worrying about hitting each other. The Henchmen’s set was just as energetic as the night before, and it was impressive to see the band maintain the same energy two nights in a row.

Before The Dickies went on, it was plain to see that The Key Club had suddenly filled in with a larger amount of people, and space was suddenly becoming a thing of the past. When The Dickies began to play, the pit broke out immediately, and somehow it managed to maintain itself the entire time. Among the songs played, "Waterslide", "You Drive Me Ape" and "I’m Okay, You’re Okay" provided the most energetic pits. The Dickies are sassy in their own right, and frequently incorporate humor into their songs and shows. Their set was not only exciting when it came to their music, but also in their chatter and jokes. It is easy to see why they hold the title of the clown princes of punk, and their set went on to reassure that title.

The anticipation for The Adicts was once again greatly felt in the venue, and was also clearly visible. The Key Club was void of all free space, and people dressed like Monkey were difficult to miss. When the hauntingly daunt music began to play in preparation for the band, the audience began to push towards the stage, and people on the floor of the venue resembled an ocean wave moving forward and backward, crashing down and gaining momentum all over again. It almost seemed as though a pit would definitely be impossible this night, because the floor was ridiculously full. When the band members made their way on stage and Fiddlin’ Dan began to play the beautiful sounds of his violin for us, all hell broke out on the floor… well, a happy hell.

As Monkey came out and demonstrated his amazing spectacles, "Joker In The Pack" was beginning to play, and over on the floor, a few people seemed to be struggling in their attempts to start a circle pit. The Key Club was said to be sold out that night, and the amount of people in the venue that night far took out the night before in Anaheim. The floor was therefore an overwhelmingly huge mess of people falling over and moving furiously, all for the love of The Adicts.There was no pit for almost 5 songs, and people got so tired of fighting the wave of the crowd, that when heads began to leave the floor and find higher calmer ground, a circle pit finally broke out right and remained that way until the very end.

It was like a giant mad birthday party inside the Key Club once there was enough space to move around. As the colorful glitter and confetti flew all around you, it seemed like a surreal experience, and was almost like you were in a magical spell singing along to every Adicts song in a crowd of people under the same trance. Monkey’s spells consisted of the colorful splashes he would surprise you with and throw at you, and around you. The streamers popped at you and flew past you, and Monkey in his colorful and intricate outfits was the composer of all of it.

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When it was time for the band to play "Bad Girl", women from the audience were exclusively selected to go on stage and dance with the band. The song’s most popular verse, "You naughty naughty girl" seemed to stir up the most reactions from the young women on stage. The females were all dancing the best they could and giving coy smiles during that verse, and the entire song was showcased in the most entertaining manner. Including the women from the audience on stage for the song was the icing on the cake during that time, and probably one of the highlights of the night.

When "Viva La Revolution" prepared the night for its end, just as in Anaheim, people appeared terribly frantic and upset that the night’s spell was about to lose its fervor. When the band left the stage, the crowd clapped their hands to the same beat together and shouted for the return of The Adicts on stage. A road member fixing the stage took the mic and teased the audience by telling them, "In my 30+ years of Punk Rock, I’ve never heard a more worse demand for an encore than tonight!" The audience took this comment to heart and began to scream and shout louder, hoping eagerly that the band would show up one more time.

When The band came back, people were stomping on the floor and jumping up and down in the most hyper manner. Everyone hoped for one last taste of The Adicts’ spell, and the band delivered it by coming back and playing "Steamroller". The beach balls finally appeared again, only this time with bubbles blowing all over the venue. People seemed exhausted going around the pit, but it didn’t matter to them because The Adicts were fueling them with all the energy they exemplified during their set. Finally, the band dismissed themselves for good, and everyone applauded them for their efforts, and for mesmerizing the crowd throughout their time on stage.

The Adicts never fail to compel and move their fans, and the show in Hollywood was a remarkable example of that. Whenever The Adicts announce their tours, people flock to their shows in mass numbers, hoping to witness and experience the intense and vivid times that their concerts consist of. Maybe we’re all just as weird as the characters that flock to Hollywood on the weekend, but what sets The Adicts and their fans apart from that flock, is the childish innocense of their shows, and the truly magical sensation that falls and drapes over us and captures our imaginations and hearts.

-Stephanie M-
Big Wheel Music Scene Reporter
 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 
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