The Adicts – World Inferno / Friendship Society – at House of Blues – Hollywood, CA

When the line outside the House of Blues stretches up the hill, around the corner, and down the block, it can only mean one thing, The Adicts are in town. This was indeed the case this Saturday, as the Viva tour rolled into Los Angeles. The tour started a few days earlier, warming up in Reno and Oakland, then hitting Anaheim for a sold-out Friday night which reputedly still turned away 400 disappointed Punk rockers.The momentum continued, as the House of Blues venue on the Sunset Strip was already more than half full a mere 30 minutes after the doors opened.


The night started with the quirky and eclectic World Inferno / Friendship Society, a band already fairly well known among fans of Leftover Crack. The band blends a variety of styles and instruments, from synthesizers to fiddles, and the crowd on the dance floor was rocking everything from swing steps to a circle pit. This band of merry pranksters definitely whet the crowd's appetite for The Adicts.

When World Inferno finished, there was none of the usual clearing of the dance floor that happens between bands at other shows, while people go to smoke, or stop at the bar. Those who had claimed their spaces during the opening set guarded them jealously, as more people packed into the pit area. Fortunately, there wasn't long to wait before the House of Blues raised the screen blocking the stage, and The Adicts' distinctive entrance notes sounded.

The crowd erupted in a deafening cheer as the band took the stage, playing the bouncy intro to "Mr Dice Man" before segueing into "Joker in the Pack", complete with the usual flair for the dramatic, and shower of playing cards over the crowd. The audience was more than ecstatic, and ten entire floor became a seething mass, with people so busy bouncing, shouting and shoving they even forgot their pit manners and didn't help lift those knocked off their feet by the pure crush of bodies.

But everyone eventually regained their feet, and The Adicts tore through the usual must-hear songs like "Troubadour", "Numbers", and my personal favorite, "Angel". The set also included the usual spectacle of filling the stage with girls to help the band with "Naughty Girl", and some less frequently played songs like "Spank Me Baby" and "Swat Her", this time sung by Kid Dee.

During a brief break for some banter, tuning, and wardrobe adjustment, the crowd was treated to an impromptu rendition of a song the band claimed they'd written earlier that day. The chorus was simple enough that by the second time around the crowd was joyfully singing along, telling anyone with ears to shut up, and not tell them what to do.

By the time The Adicts left the stage over an hour later after "Viva la Revolution" and fading out on "Ode to Joy", the crowd was sweaty and exhausted, and the House of Blues had kindly lined up free cups of water along the bar. But the crowd was less interested in water than getting The Adicts back on stage, and so after a short break, filled with cheers and chants for "one more song", the band returned for a quick encore.

The encore started with "Who Spilled My Beer?" and also included "Walk On", accompanied by enormous beachballs being batted around over the crowd, and "Bad Boy". At the end, it felt like it was all over so soon, but the clock told that to be a lie, and so as security took to the stage with leaf blowers to try to cope with the confetti and streamers, the crowd collected their shoes from the pit, and made their way out the door.

The Adicts tour continues south and east, so check www.adicts.us and make sure you don't miss out.

-Jo Problems-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE