Jane's Addiction declared Godlike Geniuses at NME Awards USA

Jane's Addiction have been declared Godlike Geniuses at the NME Awards USA in Los Angeles tonight (April 23).

The band's founding members - singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery – reunited for the first time in 17 years to pick up the Godlike Genius Award For Services To Music at the El Rey Theatre.

The group received a standing ovation. "I love you!" shouted a woman in the crowd. "I love you too!", Navarro shouted back.

"I wanna thank NME for staying true to what really counts — the music. They helped facilitate this reunion we have here tonight," Navarro said.

Farrell added, "I'm psyched that they chose Los Angeles to do their first US awards. One of the first parties they threw had The Beatles, The Stones and The Who. I'm happy they're planting the flag here and we're proud to be a part of it."

Watch NME.COM's exclusive video interview below now.

“When we were in the planning stages of bringing the NME Awards to America, Jane's Addiction were always in our thoughts," explained NME Editor Conor McNicholas of the decision to honour the band. "They are exactly the sort of once-in-a-lifetime, inspirational, aspirational, no-holds-barred, genre-busting, risk-taking, pioneering group which sums up what the NME Awards is all about.

"Breathtaking live, phenomenal on record, they blazed a trail for alternative music from which others have truly benefited over the past 20 years, and it is with the very greatest pleasure that we acknowledge and honour their contribution to making music which makes the world a better, more exciting place to live in."

With the British NME Awards already a key event on the global music scene, this year marks the launch of the NME Awards in north America.

For more on the NME Awards USA, including the 2008 winners list, go to NME.COM/awardsusa.

Meanwhile, to watch a live stream from the ceremony head to NME's Myspace page at Myspace.com/nmemagazine.