The Adicts

The Adicts were an influential and idiosyncratic British punk outfit formed in the late '70s in Ipswich, Suffolk by lead singer Monkey (Keith Warren), guitarist Pete Davidson, bassist Mel Ellis, and drummer Kid Dee (Michael Davison). Originally operating under the moniker Afterbirth & the Pinz, the quartet began performing as the Adicts in 1979, and quickly became known for their wry lyrics, ferocious yet upbeat sonic attack, and distinctive image -- the band affected the look of the black boots and bowler cap-adorned "droogs" from the film A Clockwork Orange, and peppered their live shows with streamers, confetti, playing cards, beach balls, joker hats, toy instruments, bubbles, and glitter. They released their debut EP, Lunch with the Adicts, in 1979 via the Dining Out label, and in 1981 they issued their inaugural full-length, Songs of Praise, independently on their own Dwed Wecords -- the LP was reissued the following year on Fallout Records, and included the single "Viva la Revolution," which would become one of the group's best-loved tracks.

They made the British charts with their second album, 1982's Sound of Music, and in 1983 they hit it big with the single "Bad Boy," which led to a record deal with Sire, who convinced the group to change its name to ADX -- only two singles, "Tokyo" and a cover of Marlene Dietrich's "Falling in Love Again," were ever released under the moniker. "Tokyo" appeared on 1985's Smart Alex, which arrived via Razor Records, and in 1986 the band issued its fourth studio long-player, Fifth Overture, before entering a period of inactivity. That hiatus was interrupted in 1992 with the release of Twenty-Seven on the Cleopatra label, who would go on to reissue the band's first three outings the following year. The group remained relatively quiet until 2002 with the release of Rise and Shine via Captain Oi! Records. Rollercoaster dropped in 2004, and in 2008 the band re-recorded 1981's Songs of Praise for Europe's People Like You Records, who also put out 2009s Life Goes On. The band continued to label-hop, eventually arriving at DC-Jam Records for 2012's All the Young Droogs and at Nuclear Blast for 2017's And It Was So! ~ James Christopher Monger