‘We are emotionally shattered’: Britt Adair, ‘torch bearer’ for KC punk scene, dies
Britt Adair, whose kindness, enthusiasm and unwavering punk ideals made her one of the brightest lights in Kansas City’s music community, died Monday.
The cause was thought to be related to a blood clot, her brother wrote on Facebook.
“Yesterday at 4:59 p.m. we lost my sister,” said Dane Downing in a post Tuesday morning. “She went to the hospital not feeling well and things took a downward turn very quickly. The doctors believe she had a pulmonary embolism. Right now there’s many, many more questions than answers.”
Lanky and bespectacled, with blond hair that tended to tumble down onto black clothing, Adair was a reliable presence in the city’s record stores and rock clubs, its dive bars and DIY venues. She studied video at the Kansas City Art Institute and taught herself how to play guitar. Along with Don Dawn and Caitlin Curry, Adair in 2011 founded The Bad Ideas, a female-fronted outfit whose fast-paced punk was studded with ‘80s hardcore influences.
“There aren’t a ton of women in the punk scene,” Adair told The Pitch in 2014. “We have a lot of younger girls coming up to us, and that’s the coolest thing ever. They want a T-shirt. They want to start playing. They see us and they think they can do it.”
Adair bartended and booked performances in addition to participating in them from on stage. At now-defunct midtown dive bars like Harlings and Vandals, and at weekend events like Summer Kamp Fest, she put on shows that gave several young punk, rock and hardcore bands exposure to bigger audiences.
Mark Manning, host and producer of Wednesday MidDay Medley, the 90.1 KKFI music program on which Adair appeared numerous times over the years, said Adair worked to forge “a stronger punk community in Kansas City and make connections with punk communities all across the country.” He added: “She was a true punk musician, writing protest music and fighting for equality of workers, women and queer people.”
Adair had worked since 2015 at Josey Records in the Crossroads, alongside her husband, the deejay Christian LaBeau. The record store said in a post Tuesday that it would be closed for the time being as its staff processes her loss.
“We are emotionally shattered and still in shock. She meant so much to us and so many people. We will let you know when we decide to open up the shop. Hold your loved ones tight and tell your friends you love them.”
As news of her death spread on Tuesday morning, Adair’s Facebook wall filled with tributes from family and friends, many of them musicians who’d met her behind the counter at Josey or at some musty midtown basement show. Several had seen Adair as recently as this past Thursday, when Black Flag played at RecordBar.
“Britt was punk rock to the bone and sweetness in the soul,” one wrote.
“A true torch bearer for the punk/alt scene,” said another.
“She poured her love out into the world and shaped her little corner of it into something truly magical,” another wrote. “Truly irreplaceable.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
