Featured Artist 32- The Adicts

Drop The Baby · 11-01-2005, 05:22 AM

The legendary UK clockwork orange band, that everyone must know of. Massivley influential, with a unique persona, they are not to be missed

Recommended Songs:

Viva La Revolution
Tango
England
Mary Whitehouse
Chinese Take Away
etc etc

Line Up:

Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren- Vocals
Mel Ellis- Bass
Pete Dee Davison- Guitar
Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison- Drums

Also:

John ‘Scruff’ Ellis- Guitar
Dan Gratziani- Violin

Album Discography:

1981- Songs Of Praise

1985- This Is Your Life

1990- Rockers Into Orbit

1992- 27

1997- Live And Loud

1997- Ultimate Addiction

1998- The Sound Of Music

1998- Smart Alex

1999- The Very Best Of the Adicts

1999- Complete Singles Collection

2002- Rollercoaster

Full Discography Link: http://punkandoi.free.fr/adicts.htm

The Adicts are regarded as one of the first, and best, pop punk bands of all time. Formed way back in their hometown of Ipswich in 1975, the Adicts have written many pop punk classics over the 30 years, unbelievably maintaining a consistent line up.

A lack of local venues in the area meant that the band initially struggled to get moving, but they caught a lucky break when on august 18th 1979 they managed to get a first London gig at the Breakneck in Camden Town. The performance they put on that night ensured that they left with an army of dedicated followers.

Word spread about this amazing band. They became renowned for their clockwork orange ‘droog’ image, and their upbeat, light-hearted poppy sound set them apart from many of the other bands around at the time. Kid describes the band’s decision to draw heavily from the film as their way of staying away from all the ‘posers’ that filled the scene. Originally, he says, they used to dress in their normal clothes, however with the punk look becoming too fashionable, and also with the popularity of the colour black, the band decided to dress in white suits as a way of combating this un-originality. The clockwork orange look soon followed this change, coming in about 1979, an outright move against bands that claimed you had to have liberty spikes and leather jackets to be punk enough to play music.

After the success of their gig at the Breakneck, the band managed to secure a one record deal with Norwich based label, Dining Out. After seeing the gig, they decided to release the band’s 4 song EP Lunchtime With The Adicts in September that year. It proved to be an immediate success, a well-executed recording with the songs Easy Way Out and Straight Jacket remaining features of the bands live performance even today. The EP sold 10,000 copies and came second in the independent record charts. Monkey says of the record that they just wrote about unemployment and disillusionment, as well as happy stuff. He commented that they just decided to do what all other punk bands had done until they managed to discover their own style and voice. He began to view the band on more than a musical level, saying how he realised that when people thought of the Adicts, they saw more than just the music but also the look and attitude that was the essence of the Adicts, and that was not found anywhere else.

As was to be expected, the legendary John Peel got hold of a copy. He booked them for a session of recording with him, and they got through the songs Numbers, Get Addicted, Distortion and Sensitive at the Maida Vale studios. Now everyone was looking out for the band, with the notable exception of their record label. In fact, despite all the success of their debut EP, the label paid the band only £23 in royalties.

Pissed off with the response of Dining Out with their success, the band started up their own self-funded DWED record label, with the help of a bank loan. Monkey saw this as a personal revolution, and described his early days as ‘a time of discovery, adventure, and intellectual and artistic awakening’. He says how punk was a style that encouraged him to think for himself, and although his mum wasn’t too pleased when he quit his job and came home with purple hair, he saw it as a journey of personal awakening. On this label, their debut EP Songs Of Praise was recorded and mixed within 24 hours. The LP captured all that the band were about, with catchy memorable sing along anthems.

This release received untold amounts of favourable reviews, including a five-star recommendation from Gary Bushell in the Sounds magazine. Within weeks the band had recuperated all the money that had acquired through the bank loan, and then signed to Fallout Records, who had far better distribution. Songs Of Praise was Monkey’s favourite release by the band, as he remembers well the effort the band put into the LP. Arguably their best song of all time, Viva La Revolution was chosen as the single, and this spent 3 weeks in the singles charts further enhancing the band’s popularity.

November 1982 saw the release of their next CD, Songs Of Praise. This was preceded by two weeks by the infectious single Chinese Takeaway, featuring one of the most legendary choruses of all time, ‘Hey, hey, I want a Chinese takeaway; hey, hey, woo woo woo!’

In 1983 they managed to get onto children’s television on the BBC with their single Bad Boy, under the revised name, The Fun Adicts. The temporary change came about as a result of their previous name being a little too close to drug references for the show’s producers. Cries of ‘sell out’ accompanied the band throughout this period, although they continued to tour extensively throughout the UK and the US (taking over Sunderland’s legendary Toy Dolls and Darlo’s own Major Accident). Monkey admits that this was for him the most disappointing period in the band’s history, and he felt they had become to get controlled by record companies, something that the band were too slow to pick up on. They had recently signed to Sire Records under the promise that they would make it big, although this never happened and the band were left to pick up the pieces. Their latest single Tokyo proved to be rubbish, and the band was left a bit in limbo. The band decided to change the name away from the Adicts to ADX in opposition to the music the label made them release. They had lost creative control, and so refused to suffer the embarrassment of releasing the new material under the Adicts name, and tarnish the reputation they had strived to build.

The band were left to go back to their roots in 1985, self releasing a compilation of their early recordings plus the John Peel sessions. They then recorded a new 4 song EP Bar Room Bop on their own DWED label, of which the 300,000 copies sold out within weeks, prompting the need for more copies.

Pete describes some of the fun they had over the following years, touring extensively through Germany (where the band have always attracted a massive following) amongst other countries; “Kids got drunk and disappeared, or passed out, all over Asia, America, and Europe,” he continues, recalling some of their other on-the-road antics. “We’ve got lost, robbed, ripped off, attacked and arrested… well, I got arrested at least! We’ve puked, pissed, slept, shagged, and shat together all over the world. We’ve been treated like kings and accused of being queens… well, I have!

27 was released in 1992 on US label Cleopatra, but it was another 10 years before they released Rollercoaster on Captain Oi records. The only releases within this time were re-releases, live and compilation albums. Their legend lives on in the quality of this record, and they will always be regarded as pioneers of the pop-punk sound, and the architects of punk within punk originality.

http://www.suburbias.com/adicts/

http://punkandoi.free.fr/adicts_biography.htm

live video footage: http://www.suburbias.com/adicts/

PS: I apoligise for the lateness of this post, i've been working a lot recently and then had to go out, get battered and watch the Subhumans yesterday. Sorry guys.

TakeWarning · 11-01-2005, 05:26 AM

Good read, such a great band. Well written, James.

Rep++

Gnarmageddon · 11-01-2005, 06:07 AM

Nice work, James.

Rep'd.

B · 11-01-2005, 06:27 AM

Great work. I could never really get into them though.

Kif · 11-01-2005, 07:12 AM

Nice FA, I'm gonna check out this band

TakeWarning · 11-01-2005, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kif

Nice FA, I'm gonna check out this band

You should have checked them out ages ago.

albert_bass · 11-01-2005, 08:09 AM

Great job James. Glad to see you still come here to help improving the forums a little.

I love this band, Songs Of Praise and Sound Of Music are both great.

Kif · 11-01-2005, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakeWarning

You should have checked them out ages ago.

Woah, I just searched my Winamp incase they had any songs from compilation albums, and I apparently have one of their albums. I'm gonna que it and listen, I'm sure I've listened to it before and liked it a lot.

***Mute Print*** · 11-01-2005, 02:28 PM

I downloaded one of their albums from the YSI thread a while back. They're a pretty cool band.

Anyway, nice FA. Rep ++

Angry Balled Fists! · 11-01-2005, 02:46 PM

J J J

Rep'd, good band.

Dead Star · 11-01-2005, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kif

Nice FA, I'm gonna check out this band

Schwan Doo Tre

Untitled · 11-01-2005, 05:13 PM

Good band, think there bit overrated to be honest.

Tjebby · 11-01-2005, 10:19 PM

Nice. Viva La Revolution is such a sweet song, and your the reason I got into them. Nice job, its lovely.

DJ Ducksauce · 11-01-2005, 11:12 PM

Cool FA. I'll check out this band when I get the chance.

Imaginary rep ++
(because I don't have any real rep to give out)

Drop The Baby · 11-02-2005, 06:17 AM

Ta very much people

Rise Me Up · 11-06-2005, 04:49 PM

I love the Adicts. Smart Alex is an amazing album and a half.

TakeWarning · 11-07-2005, 08:25 AM

I challenge anybody who doesn't like The Adicts to a knifefight.

Drop The Baby · 11-10-2005, 01:18 PM

People who said they would check them out should post comments on what they thought

Angry Balled Fists! · 11-10-2005, 01:21 PM

true, more people shoudl post in here and show some appreciation too.

everywhere,allthetime · 12-29-2005, 01:10 PM

Damn i love the adicts. Songs of Praise is a kick *** album

11-01-2005, 05:22 AM	#1
Drop The Baby England Til I Die Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 4,397	Featured Artist 32- The Adicts The legendary UK clockwork orange band, that everyone must know of. Massivley influential, with a unique persona, they are not to be missed Recommended Songs: Viva La Revolution Tango England Mary Whitehouse Chinese Take Away etc etc Line Up: Keith ‘Monkey’ Warren- Vocals Mel Ellis- Bass Pete Dee Davison- Guitar Michael ‘Kid Dee’ Davison- Drums Also: John ‘Scruff’ Ellis- Guitar Dan Gratziani- Violin Album Discography: 1981- Songs Of Praise 1985- This Is Your Life 1990- Rockers Into Orbit 1992- 27 1997- Live And Loud 1997- Ultimate Addiction 1998- The Sound Of Music 1998- Smart Alex 1999- The Very Best Of the Adicts 1999- Complete Singles Collection 2002- Rollercoaster Full Discography Link: http://punkandoi.free.fr/adicts.htm The Adicts are regarded as one of the first, and best, pop punk bands of all time. Formed way back in their hometown of Ipswich in 1975, the Adicts have written many pop punk classics over the 30 years, unbelievably maintaining a consistent line up. A lack of local venues in the area meant that the band initially struggled to get moving, but they caught a lucky break when on august 18th 1979 they managed to get a first London gig at the Breakneck in Camden Town. The performance they put on that night ensured that they left with an army of dedicated followers. Word spread about this amazing band. They became renowned for their clockwork orange ‘droog’ image, and their upbeat, light-hearted poppy sound set them apart from many of the other bands around at the time. Kid describes the band’s decision to draw heavily from the film as their way of staying away from all the ‘posers’ that filled the scene. Originally, he says, they used to dress in their normal clothes, however with the punk look becoming too fashionable, and also with the popularity of the colour black, the band decided to dress in white suits as a way of combating this un-originality. The clockwork orange look soon followed this change, coming in about 1979, an outright move against bands that claimed you had to have liberty spikes and leather jackets to be punk enough to play music. After the success of their gig at the Breakneck, the band managed to secure a one record deal with Norwich based label, Dining Out. After seeing the gig, they decided to release the band’s 4 song EP Lunchtime With The Adicts in September that year. It proved to be an immediate success, a well-executed recording with the songs Easy Way Out and Straight Jacket remaining features of the bands live performance even today. The EP sold 10,000 copies and came second in the independent record charts. Monkey says of the record that they just wrote about unemployment and disillusionment, as well as happy stuff. He commented that they just decided to do what all other punk bands had done until they managed to discover their own style and voice. He began to view the band on more than a musical level, saying how he realised that when people thought of the Adicts, they saw more than just the music but also the look and attitude that was the essence of the Adicts, and that was not found anywhere else. As was to be expected, the legendary John Peel got hold of a copy. He booked them for a session of recording with him, and they got through the songs Numbers, Get Addicted, Distortion and Sensitive at the Maida Vale studios. Now everyone was looking out for the band, with the notable exception of their record label. In fact, despite all the success of their debut EP, the label paid the band only £23 in royalties. Pissed off with the response of Dining Out with their success, the band started up their own self-funded DWED record label, with the help of a bank loan. Monkey saw this as a personal revolution, and described his early days as ‘a time of discovery, adventure, and intellectual and artistic awakening’. He says how punk was a style that encouraged him to think for himself, and although his mum wasn’t too pleased when he quit his job and came home with purple hair, he saw it as a journey of personal awakening. On this label, their debut EP Songs Of Praise was recorded and mixed within 24 hours. The LP captured all that the band were about, with catchy memorable sing along anthems. This release received untold amounts of favourable reviews, including a five-star recommendation from Gary Bushell in the Sounds magazine. Within weeks the band had recuperated all the money that had acquired through the bank loan, and then signed to Fallout Records, who had far better distribution. Songs Of Praise was Monkey’s favourite release by the band, as he remembers well the effort the band put into the LP. Arguably their best song of all time, Viva La Revolution was chosen as the single, and this spent 3 weeks in the singles charts further enhancing the band’s popularity. November 1982 saw the release of their next CD, Songs Of Praise. This was preceded by two weeks by the infectious single Chinese Takeaway, featuring one of the most legendary choruses of all time, ‘Hey, hey, I want a Chinese takeaway; hey, hey, woo woo woo!’ In 1983 they managed to get onto children’s television on the BBC with their single Bad Boy, under the revised name, The Fun Adicts. The temporary change came about as a result of their previous name being a little too close to drug references for the show’s producers. Cries of ‘sell out’ accompanied the band throughout this period, although they continued to tour extensively throughout the UK and the US (taking over Sunderland’s legendary Toy Dolls and Darlo’s own Major Accident). Monkey admits that this was for him the most disappointing period in the band’s history, and he felt they had become to get controlled by record companies, something that the band were too slow to pick up on. They had recently signed to Sire Records under the promise that they would make it big, although this never happened and the band were left to pick up the pieces. Their latest single Tokyo proved to be rubbish, and the band was left a bit in limbo. The band decided to change the name away from the Adicts to ADX in opposition to the music the label made them release. They had lost creative control, and so refused to suffer the embarrassment of releasing the new material under the Adicts name, and tarnish the reputation they had strived to build. The band were left to go back to their roots in 1985, self releasing a compilation of their early recordings plus the John Peel sessions. They then recorded a new 4 song EP Bar Room Bop on their own DWED label, of which the 300,000 copies sold out within weeks, prompting the need for more copies. Pete describes some of the fun they had over the following years, touring extensively through Germany (where the band have always attracted a massive following) amongst other countries; “Kids got drunk and disappeared, or passed out, all over Asia, America, and Europe,” he continues, recalling some of their other on-the-road antics. “We’ve got lost, robbed, ripped off, attacked and arrested… well, I got arrested at least! We’ve puked, pissed, slept, shagged, and shat together all over the world. We’ve been treated like kings and accused of being queens… well, I have! 27 was released in 1992 on US label Cleopatra, but it was another 10 years before they released Rollercoaster on Captain Oi records. The only releases within this time were re-releases, live and compilation albums. Their legend lives on in the quality of this record, and they will always be regarded as pioneers of the pop-punk sound, and the architects of punk within punk originality. http://www.suburbias.com/adicts/ http://punkandoi.free.fr/adicts_biography.htm live video footage: http://www.suburbias.com/adicts/ PS: I apoligise for the lateness of this post, i've been working a lot recently and then had to go out, get battered and watch the Subhumans yesterday. Sorry guys.

11-01-2005, 06:07 AM	#3
Gnarmageddon Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 17,698	Nice work, James. Rep'd.
	Digging: Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse

11-01-2005, 06:27 AM	#4
B keep running your mouth Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: reppin 905 Posts: 13,913	Great work. I could never really get into them though.
	Digging: A Day To Remember - And Their Name Was Treason

11-01-2005, 05:26 AM	#2
TakeWarning It ain't easy bein' white Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Perth Australia Posts: 6,278	Good read, such a great band. Well written, James. Rep++

11-01-2005, 07:12 AM	#5
Kif i dont need no damn title Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Lincoln, UK Posts: 34,791	Nice FA, I'm gonna check out this band

11-01-2005, 08:09 AM	#7
albert_bass Unibrow punx unite! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Unibrowland Posts: 5,810	Great job James. Glad to see you still come here to help improving the forums a little. I love this band, Songs Of Praise and Sound Of Music are both great.

11-01-2005, 02:28 PM	#9
*Mute Print* Better You Than Me! Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 10,832	I downloaded one of their albums from the YSI thread a while back. They're a pretty cool band. Anyway, nice FA. Rep ++

11-01-2005, 02:46 PM	#10
Angry Balled Fists! NOW! Join Date: May 2004 Location: ENGLAND Posts: 20,402	J J J Rep'd, good band.

11-01-2005, 05:13 PM	#12
Untitled Mind the windows, Tino. Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Leedsssss Posts: 29,356	Good band, think there bit overrated to be honest.

11-01-2005, 10:19 PM	#13
Tjebby Shake Dem Dreads Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 515 Posts: 3,449	Nice. Viva La Revolution is such a sweet song, and your the reason I got into them. Nice job, its lovely.

11-01-2005, 11:12 PM	#14
DJ Ducksauce yea boiii Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: ATX Posts: 11,301	Cool FA. I'll check out this band when I get the chance. Imaginary rep ++ (because I don't have any real rep to give out)

11-02-2005, 06:17 AM	#15
Drop The Baby England Til I Die Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 4,397	Ta very much people

11-06-2005, 04:49 PM	#16
Rise Me Up ShareWhatYaGot(ForXmas) Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Newport, Tennessee Posts: 4,539	I love the Adicts. Smart Alex is an amazing album and a half.

11-07-2005, 08:25 AM	#17
TakeWarning It ain't easy bein' white Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Perth Australia Posts: 6,278	I challenge anybody who doesn't like The Adicts to a knifefight.

11-10-2005, 01:18 PM	#18
Drop The Baby England Til I Die Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 4,397	People who said they would check them out should post comments on what they thought

11-10-2005, 01:21 PM	#19
Angry Balled Fists! NOW! Join Date: May 2004 Location: ENGLAND Posts: 20,402	true, more people shoudl post in here and show some appreciation too.

12-29-2005, 01:10 PM	#20
everywhere,allthetime i pity the fool Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 65	Damn i love the adicts. Songs of Praise is a kick *** album