ADULT.
Rickshaw Stop
May 2, 2026
Photos by Raymond Ahner
Every music fan has those bands that they will always make an effort to see whenever they tour. For me, ADULT. is one of those bands. Ever since seeing them in 2019, I’ve always made an effort to be in attendance when they come through town, and being front row at their show at San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop was one of the best experiences I’ve had in the many times that I’ve seen them live.
Synth maestro Adam Lee Miller took to the stage first and began the backing tracks to opener “I, Obedient” while vocalist Nicola Kuperus came onstage to a loud cheer from the audience before the song truly began. The mid-tempo song helped to ease the crowd into what was to come, as the set really kicked into overdrive with the second song, “R U 4 $ALE.” As the chorus hit, Nicola sang the title of the song over and over into her two microphones as the audience screamed it back at her.
As I mentioned before, I’ve seen ADULT. more than a few times before and am used to seeing the synth punk band performing intense material, but their show at the Rickshaw Stop was without a doubt the most confrontational set that I’ve ever seen them perform. Most of that has to do with the bulk of the set drawing from their newest album, Kissing Luck Goodbye. Despite the fact that the band has said that they don’t write their songs with live performance in mind, every song from the album sounds like it was tailor-made to be played in front of a crowd. Seeing them perform songs like “None Of It’s Fun” and “So Unpleasant” felt cathartic in a way that is hard to put into words.
It’s always refreshing to see a band with an extensive back catalog focusing so heavily on newer material. But if you are more a fan of ADULT.’s older material, they still performed tried and true classics like “This Behavior” and “Idle (Second Thoughts).” Halfway through the set Adam switched from keyboards to bass, which was the driving force of “Glue Your Eyelids Together” and “I Feel Worse When I’m With You.”
Despite the fact that apparently Nicola was feeling under the weather, she never once let up, her powerful vocals flawlessly sitting above Adam’s electro instrumentation. The crowd was hanging on her every word, and it was great to be a part of an audience that was so into every single song in the set. I interviewed her, Nicola said that the set was relentless, and it absolutely was. There were only a couple of songs that felt like a respite from the auditory onslaught of the bulk of the songs played. It wasn’t helped by the fact that the air conditioning was turned off early in the band’s set, and by the end of it most of the crowd was soaking wet.
For an encore, the band delivered a blistering rendition of San Francisco post-punk royalty Tuxedomoon’s “No Tears.” Nicole entered the crowd partway through the song, the crowd parting as she made her way to the middle of the floor to finish the song. It’s a song that the band has been performing live for years, to the point where they’ve completely made it their own. Once the song ended, Nicola thanked the audience and that was the end of the most blistering set that I’ve seen ADULT. play.
I think that it’s a testament to the power of ADULT.’s music that nearly 30 years into their career they’re still able to come out with music that resonates with audiences. Their new album is definitely their most immediate music in a long time, and even though I loved their 2022 album Becoming Undone, their new songs feel vital in a way that most of the material on that album did not. By the time that this review is being posted, their North American tour will have finished, but if you’re on the fence about seeing them next time they come through your area, I cannot recommend witnessing the power of ADULT. live for yourself enough.
Opener The Treasury got things off to an electrifying start. The moniker of musician Troy Hancock, his music definitely fits in with ADULT. and is rooted in classic EBM and industrial techno. Despite being the opener, I wish that he would have played a bit longer, and I’m sure that he’s going to blow up in the industrial scene before too long.
Playing second was Donzii, and believe me when I say that they were one of the best openers that I’ve seen in a long, long time. The five-piece band feels equally indebted to no wave and synth funk, with singer Jenna Balfe in total control of the audience for their entire set. I wasn’t familiar with the band before ADULT. announced them as an opener, and they’ve quickly become one of my favorite modern bands.
