The World/Inferno Friendship Society

The World/Inferno Friendship Society (also referred to as "World Inferno", "The Wifs" or "Inferno") is a band from Brooklyn, New York. Its style merges punk, soul, klezmer and jazz, while its collective membership features horns, piano and guitar and has a membership of about 40 players, only about seven to ten active members usually perform at a time. The group is led by singer Jack Terricloth who has been the only constant during the group's history. Terricloth is known for his pointed commentary during shows; his monologues have touched on politics and his transformation from the "old school".

Its lyrics often concern historical or biographical subjects, such as Weimar-era Germany, Peter Lorre, Jeffrey Lee Pierce of The Gun Club, Paul Robeson, Leni Riefenstahl, Dante Alighieri, Philip K. Dick, and Jonathan Fire*Eater.