As we inch closer to the end of 2026, bands are coming to the end of their touring season. Fans are packing venues for their chance to see some of their favorite bands close out the year, not knowing when they might come back next year. Notorious English punk band The Adicts decided to close out their year with a final show at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, CA. The Droog Army showed up to fill the room and let themselves be taken over by English punk music.
Opening the night was Latino punk band Spunk. Hailing from Hacienda Heights, CA, these kids might have been young, but they brought a heavy, in-your-face sound. Featuring Bruno Bones on vocals, Jacob the Ripper on lead guitar, Julian Tarzan on bass, and Brian Torn on drums, Spunk played their music fast and chaotic. It was a bombastic convulsion of sound that exploded on the stage. For an opening band, they were able to get the crowd running and moshing right from the start of the show. Bruno Bones often jumped onto the barricade to get in the faces of the fans. Spunk's sound filled the Riverside Auditorium, but if you were to catch them at a smaller DIY punk show, their sound would be tearing through the roof of the venue.
Up next was Spaghetti Cumbia, which felt like a bit of a curveball on this kind of lineup. They mix traditional cumbia rhythms with rock, punk, and spaghetti western-style movie soundtracks. Feeling like they had just come out of a little Texas roadhouse performance, they quickly won over the raucous crowd. The band features Marcel Campos on vocals, Paulo "El Maniacs" Paredones on bass, Pedro "Pedro Pistolas" Zapata and Bobby "El Gallo" Guerrero on guitar, and Adolfo Mercado Jr. on drums. Campos even played the cowbell and güiro to add that western rhythm to the songs. We stepped out of the underground punk show and into the Wild West with Spaghetti Cumbia.
It was then time for our penultimate artist of the night, Kate Clover. Stepping onto the stage in a bedazzled red and black two-piece dress, she was dazzling even before she started playing. Her blend of classic punk attitude, power-pop hooks, and melodic rock was another change of pace in the night's musical atmosphere, but a welcome one for sure. Kate's energy fed into the crowd, who started jumping and rocking with her. Her backing band helped throw the one-two punch of Kate's sound. Kate's fiancé Vigilante Carlstroem, guitarist in The Hives, was playing right beside his beloved, enhancing the energy of the show. Kate Clover looked like she was bringing some pleasantries to the stage, but she walked away having shown she could hang with the boys, all while rocking out in heels.
It was then time for The Adicts to take the final stage of their 2026 performances. The band donned their traditional Droog outfits, decked out in white jumpsuits and bowler hats. It is a striking image that has represented the essence of British counterculture for half a century. But it is when lead singer Monkey finally steps onto the stage that the joyful punk energy The Adicts have become known for really takes shape. Monkey, adorned in his own unique Droog stylings, wears Joker-style white face paint and some kind of gear-inspired red patterning on his shirt, but it's when he opens his arms to reveal his massive butterfly wings that you truly realize there is something different about this member.
The Adicts keep that traditional punk sound, playing hard, fast, and in your face. But there is a brightness to them that you don't often think about with punk music, topped off by Monkey pulling out numerous props: throwing playing cards, a confetti-filled umbrella, beer steins also filled with confetti, and even massive beach balls thrown around the venue while confetti cannons blasted the auditorium with tiny sheets of paper. We were singing about revolution and revolt while attending a circus-style show. The Adicts prove that punk doesn't need to be just aggression and intensity; there can still be a show element to the music.
Many of the fans in the audience came dressed in classic punk style: mohawks, battle vests, and piercings everywhere. But another section of the fans came dressed in their Droog Army whites. Finally getting to see The Adicts live, I got to be indoctrinated into the love the fans share for this band. There is a reason they have persisted for five decades, and that is because they've cultivated a fan base of outcasts who truly identify with them. Even if you think you're not into punk rock, seeing The Adicts is a live concert experience that's worth being a part of. The music was inviting, and the crowd's love was supportive. I can't wait for the next chance I get to spend time with some Droogs at The Adicts' next SoCal show.
Editor - Orange County
Website: www.instagram.com/red_hareimages Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
