Guttermouth's Mark Adkins' Journey From A Mexican Prison Back To The Australian Stage

Californian punk band Guttermouth are about to return to Australia for a run of shows aiming to make up for their disastrous 2013 tour, filled with “some really shit inebriated performances to mostly disappointed fans”. At the time, it seemed like the band would never step foot in Australia again and for frontman Mark Adkins, the disasters didn’t end there.

In the 2 years since those shows, images of which you can see below, Mark Adkins found himself at the lowest point of his life, born out of a dissatisfaction with giving up his life of music. Destitute, penniless and eventually winding up in a Mexican prison, Adkins had to borrow a few pesos off a corrupt cop to call drummer Alex Flamsteed to bail him out.

“I just couldn’t live that 9-5 lifestyle of working some shitty job and then coming home to some barely prepared meal and watch Seinfeld reruns, it’s just it’s just not how I am wired, and that ended up leading me to a place that no one wants to be,” Adkins told Music Feeds.

“Being south of the border, you are in a third world country and it’s easy to find yourself in a situation where you cross the street against a red light and find yourself held hostage by a cop who will take you to an ATM, force you to withdraw all of your money, then wait to midnight and make you do the same thing, again and again for three days.”

Adkins said the situation got so bad, he had to somehow get things back on track. “Alex was a part of it, but another part of it was me being a human fucking punching bag in a Mexican prison, because being a white boy in a Mexican jail, doesn’t really work out too well.

“I’m not exactly the best boxer in the world, I seem to be able to take a punch better than actually throw one, so that started to get old. I only wear a black eye so well, so many days in a row.”

Adkins’ remarkable turn around has resulted in Guttermouth’s Australian return, with their run of 18+ shows to begin in Adelaide on Thursday, 2nd April, and finish up in Perth on Saturday, 25th April.

Adkins also teased an exclusive Australian release of new music the band plan on recording while in town. “We’ll be staying at the studio, so we can work around the clock. Being locked up for 24 hours will be a nice throwback to Mexican prison for me. Hopefully the producer goes a little lighter on the punches.”

Update 12/03/15: Guttermouth have added three more shows to their Australian tour schedule, announced local supports and are also running a competition where you can have the Californian punks over for a good old fashion Aussie BBQ, sure to be an interesting get-together.

All you have to do to enter is send an email with your ticket proof of purchase, to heather@kingdomsounds.com.au and in 100 words or less, tell Guttermouth why having a BBQ at your house would be the most rad choice.

See updated tour dates below.

Photos: Guttermouth – Ferntree Gully Hotel, Melbourne 11/08/2013 / Photos: Carbie Warbie

Guttermouth 2015 Australian Tour

Tickets on sale Wednesday, 11th February

Thursday, 2nd April 2015

With special guests The Pro Tools, The Lizards and Wolfpack

Crown & Anchor, Adelaide

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Friday, 3rd April 2015

With special guests Cosmic Kahuna, Party Vibez, and Strickland

The Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Saturday, 4th April 2015

With special guests Blind Man Death Stare, Brittle bones, Postscript, Take your Own, and My Echo

The Bendigo Hotel, Collingwood

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Sunday, 5th April 2015

With special guests Crowbait, Wolfpack and more TBA

Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Monday, 6th April 2015

With special guests Drexler, Retrace, Organ Donor, Maggot Men, and The Wrecks

Bar 12, Frankston

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Wednesday, 8th April 2015

With special guests Driverside Airbag, Dirty Eights, and Batfoot

Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay

Tickets: Oztix

Thursday, 9th April 2015

With special guests Coffin, Frank Rizzo, and Ebolagoldfish

Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale

Tickets: Oztix

Friday, 10th April 2015

With special guests Thats’s the Last Straw, Deadly Visions and Topnovil

Studio Six, Sutherland

Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 11th April 2015

With special guests Batfoot, The Fuck Outs, and Nerdlinger

Factory Floor, Sydney

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Sunday, 12th April 2015

With special guests Dog Act, Wiseheimer, and Mucho Sonar

The Small Ballroom, Newcastle

Tickets: Oztix

Friday, 17th April 2015

With special guests El Monstro, Crooked Face, Driven Fear & Goon on the Rocks

Crowbar, Brisbane

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Saturday, 18th April 2015 – NEW SHOW

With special guests The Decline, Release the Hounds and Flangipanis

Crowbar, Brisbane, QLD

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Friday, 24th April 2015 – NEW SHOW

With special guests The Bob Gordons, The Reptilians and Beer Fridge

Leisure Inn, Rockingham, WA

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Saturday, 25th April 2015

Rosemount, Perth

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter

Saturday, 25th April 2015 – NEW SHOW

With special guests Blindspot, Them Sharks and The Decline

Rosemount, Perth, WA

Tickets: The Drunk Promoter