Adam Ant
Adam Ant brings his Friend or Foe album to Liverpool and Getintothis’ Banjo has the details.
Adam Ant has travelled a long and strange path to get to where he is today.
His first band was Bazooka Joe, where he played bass under his real name, Stuart Goddard. Bazooka Joe earned their footnote in history for being the band Sex Pistols supported for their debut gig.
Inspired by punk, he formed Adam and the Ants. They quickly gathered a cult following and released a run of quirky yet catchy singles, followed by the classic Dirk Wears White Sox album. Adam also appeared in Derek Jarman’s Jubilee around this time.
Fame seemed to elude The Ants, so Adam convinced Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren to look after their careers. He responded to this by sacking Adam from his own group, replacing him with a 14 year girl and rechristening them Bow Wow Wow.
The mutiny gave him a fire in his belly and he gathered a new band around him and aimed for the heart of the charts. His new sound and new image clicked with the public and Adam and the Ants went on to become one of the biggest bands of the 80s.
Newspapers, magazines and tv shows couldn’t get enough of Adam Ant, such was the level of his fame. He was undoubtedly one of the era’s key faces.
His videos became much talked about mini films and his live shows verged on lavish panto and his transformation from outsider punk to pop prince was complete. One of the most amusing sights of the early 80s was seeing hardcore mohicaned punks with Ant Warrior tattoos when Adam was at number one with the pure pop of Stand and Deliver.
Inevitably enough, Adam soon split The Ants and went solo. After some initial success, his star waned and his records lacked more and more sparkle as the years went by.
His next appearance in the daily papers came after an altercation in a London pub that involved him throwing a car alternator through a window and threatening a crows with a starting pistol. He was subsequently sectioned and spent time in various psychiatric wards.
Mental health in music – no one listens anymore, a musician’s perspective
This was not his first brush with mental health problems. Way back in Bazooka Joe, he became anorexic, saying “I wasn’t attempting to slim, I was attempting to kill myself.” This resulted in a stay in Colney Hatch mental hospital. His rebirth as Adam Ant followed his release.
Recently, he has been touring to great critical acclaim and looks to be in good health. He has proved that he still has the voice, the moves and the charisma that took him to such dizzying heights in the 80s.
Now Adam Ant has announced another tour, this time playing his Friend or Foe album in full. This was his most successful solo album, reaching number 5 in the charts and featuring the number 1 Goody Two Shoes.
His fans have stayed loyal and recent gigs have been rapturously received. Already assured of his place in the pop firmament, this is a chance to see a genuine artist delve into a cache of songs that helped capture and define one of our best and brightest pop performers.
Full tour dates are
Nov 7 – Nottingham Royal Center
Nov 8 – Sheffield City Hall
Nov 9 – Sage, Gateshead
Nov 12 – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Nov 14 – York Barbican
Nov 15 – Hull City Hall
Nov 16 – Blackburn King George’s Hall
Nov 18 – Carlisle The Sands Centre
Nov 19 – Edinburgh Usher Hall
Nov 21 – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Nov 22 – Aberdeen Music Hall
Nov 24 – Middlesbrough Town Hall
Nov 25– Northampton Royal & Derngate
Nov 26 – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Nov 28 – Cambridge Corn Exchange
Nov 29 – De Leicester Montford Hall
Nov 30 – Cardiff St David’s Hall
Dec 2 – Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Dec 3 – Bexhill On Sea De La Warr Pavillion
Dec 5 – Southampton O2 Guidhall
Dec 6 – Brighton Centre
Dec 7 – Torquay Princess Theatre
Dec 9 – Guildford -Live
Dec 10 – Margate Winter Gardens
Dec 12 – O2 Brixton Academy
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