By Gilbert Ward Kane
Living in The Desert can, at times, be frustrating for concert goers. There are the obvious massive shows out here such as Coachella and possibly the most insane show of our generation, Desert Trip, but it’s not every day we get great touring bands. But last Saturday, The Hood in Palm Desert brought us a great show featuring The Adicts from The U.K. and many amazing local bands. It was a show not to be missed.
The diverse and costumed crowd couldn’t have been better. Even early in the evening, it was obvious the show was bringing fans from all walks of life. There were young punks, older punks with their children, zombies, plenty of variations on A Clockwork Orange droogs, and even a very convincing Divine from John Waters’ Pink Flamingos. From the crowd alone, it was easy to tell this was to be a fun night.
The show started at 6:00pm and took over the inside and the closed off side parking lot turned outdoor venue. The line-up was stacked with plenty of local bands and even a few out of town bands. The outside venue was set up like a festival. There were two different beer vendors, food vendors, and, of course, Shurp Town Records had there awesome record booth set up to fill the desires of all the vinyl junkies and local music addicts who attended.
After the local acts including Cakes & Brains, DieSineGration, and Herbert, who did not one, but two sets, got the crowd warmed up, The Adicts took the stage around 10:00pm. From the start, it was obvious The Adicts were at the top of their game. Their singer, Keith “Monkey” Warren had charisma, which rivals the best front men in the business. There was a pit which started during the first song and didn’t let up until The Adicts left the stage.
From start to finish, The Adicts were tight and delivered a set full of their hits. The crowd was pumped and sang along all night. There was an obvious comradery within the fans, which could be felt by all, even the youngest attendees. A father in the crowd had his daughter on his shoulders for most of the set, and when she wanted to be involved in the pit, a group gathered around the father/daughter duo and ensured she could experience the energy of the pit while being 100% protected the whole time.
After the onslaught of energy created by The Adicts and their audience, it was time to move back inside for the after party, exclusive only to those who wore a costume. Those who did not wear a costume missed out on a pretty stunning set by The Tiki Creeps out of Los Angeles. The Tiki Creeps were a fitting surprise. They are a spooky surf band perfect for Halloween and perfect for finishing off a high energy night.
