Venue:
York Barbican
Date: 31/05/2016
So, here we are. Thirty six years since Adam and I first had the pleasure (a riotous, aborted gig in Hull on the original KOTWF Tour), we meet again to relive those glorious days of Antmania. I have loved the Kings Of The Wild Frontier album for decades; it remains timeless, primal, witty and unique, particularly in the context of the teen pop stardom that arose from it (see the link above for a great Alexis Petridis Guardian piece on the Ant phenomenon).
So I arrived at the Barbican with a high degree of excitement, and a little trepidation. Having just finished reading his (excellent) autobiography, I have become much more aware of the extent and depth of Adam’s mental health issues, and was a little worried that they had eroded his performing abilities or that the strain of such a high-profile tour would be having a detrimental effect on his well-being. Those concerns were put to bed immediately by his arrival on stage. Supported by a terrific band anchored by the iconic two (female) drummer attack, he swaggered on in full Hussar/pirate regalia and launched into a roof-raising ‘Dog Eat Dog’, following on with the ‘Kings’ album in its glorious entirety. The audience was up in every sense from the off, which helped to build a cracking, febrile atmosphere. Particular highlights of the album run-through were stupendous versions of ‘Killer In The Home’, ‘Kings…’ itself and ‘The Human Beings’. The young, vibrant band really nailed the dark intensity of the music without being a mere facsimile, and Adam was as great as I was anxiously hoping – in fine idiosyncratic voice, throwing all the signature shapes and shimmies, and with charisma still to burn.
The second half of the show featured a progressively stripped-down Adam playing a selection of the huge post-‘Kings’ hits and reaching back to some of the more esoteric highlights from his post-punk back catalogue ((Zerox, Car Trouble…) and standout B-sides (Beat My Guest, Press Darlings…). Adam strapped on his guitar for much of this section, and whilst the three-guitar, two-drum onslaught was viscerally thrilling, it did rather overwhelm the vocals on occasion.
The show culminated with a euphoric ‘Prince Charming’, those always-powerful, affirmative lyrics lent an affecting resonance by his strange and turbulent journey over the subsequent decades. The gig really should have ended perfectly right there, with Adam leading the audience through a final, joyous accapella chorus; it was followed with a superfluous but still enjoyable encore, highlighted by a somewhat ramshackle version of Get It On, rounding off a fabulous evening.
After all his troubles, this tour in particular has been an absolute triumph for Adam. It’s a real pleasure to see him in rude health and performing with such great passion and style to an adoring audience.
He sang. He wailed. He hollered. He danced. He skipped. He swayed. He stood. He delivered.
The audience:
Mainly ageing punks and SexPeople, many of whom having made a real effort to dress up Ant-style and contributed a great deal to the electric atmosphere. Although I did see one woman with a sad, thin little pink stripe across her nose…that’s just not trying, love.
It made me think..
Actually, it made me feel…18 again.
Here’s the Guardian link:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/may/26/adam-and-the-ants-heroic-sexy-warrior-bravado-kings-wild-frontier#comment-75159197
Great review. Never was a fan but that made me wish I was there !
Wow, sounds fantastic. Always had a soft spot for Adam. Great review!
Sounds like fun. I missed out on him the first time round. I was in my early teens at the time and should have been in the zone, but at my school he was dismissed as a children’s entertainer and we were all far too cool for him. The drums on the singles sound great now though.
Oh Adam, the perfect pop star. Sounds fantastic so glad to hear he’s well and performing.
Great review too
Great review and Guardian piece. It was Adam and his Ants that made me realise how great pop music could be and I’ve never really looked back. I love the fact that their success was something that, on paper, shouldn’t happen – and yet it did.
I can imagine the press department at CBS trying to sell the concept:
‘So, we’ve got a slightly cultish punk guy whose regular band has left him…right…and he’s fascinated with Native Americans and tribal drums…uh-huh…the lead guitarist always looks slightly uncomfortable in his costumes and he puts a bit of a Duane Eddy twang in everything…oh, and a lot of the B-sides are about bondage and whips and that kind of malarkey. Yes, absolutely serious…these guys will be huge…hello, hello, are you still there?’
I adored Adam – my first music crush. I had posters all over my room, eventually including part of the ceiling and the window.
Was too young to go to any gigs at the time and it wasn’t until a few years ago I saw him perform for the first time – a mere 30 years after my initial obsession had taken hold.
It wasn’t a perfect gig by any means, but i loved every minute.
Then, bizarrely, he was announced as the headliner for a small festival in a park in my hometown last summer. He was playing a gig in a town that never had music gigs when I was growing up, and it was my childhood dream made flesh.
But it was an ‘acoustic’ gig, just him and a couple of guitarists backing him up and, with the best will in the world, it wasn’t great.
Kind of wish I’d got tickets for this tour.