It’s one of my favorite stories from the early punk scene here in London. The year is 1979. Adam Ant approaches the Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren and asks him to manage his band. McLaren steals the band, The Ants, away from him and introduces them to 14-year-old singer Annabella Lwin giving birth to Bow Wow Wow and ultimately a successful charting act. Malcolm would try to find a role for Adam in Bow Wow Wow, but it never worked out.
The legendary manager did provide Adam with some career changing advice however. According to Adam, Malcolm flat-out asked, “Look, what do you want?” Adam said, “I wanna sell millions of records,” to which McLaren replied, “Well, you’re going the wrong way about it. This [The Ant’s debut album Dirk Wears White Sox] is the kind of esoteric stuff you do when you’ve done eight albums, you’re living on a yacht, and you can do what you want.” That was a turning point which lead to 16 hit singles and sales of more than 15 million records in the 1980s.
Fast forward almost four decades and the importance of Adam Ant cannot be understated. Not only did he become a singular force pushing the limits of new wave, early punk, and crossover pop, he was a fashion icon as well with a specific interest in costumes from a bygone era which he donned proudly and still does. He ushered in the age of MTV and became their poster child—he was a visionary. Many artists are content with being one-dimensional but not Adam Ant. He forged new ground and paved the way for musicians to not only create something outlandish, but taught them how to package it for an unsuspecting audience.
Having never seen Adam Ant live—I was three when he hit the scene—I did know the big hits but never really dove into his vast catalog. It was the second sold-out night at the legendary Roundhouse in north London, and Adam took to the stage and delivered a stellar performance. Twenty-five Ant classics spanning over four decades. You would never in a million years guess that this guy is in his sixties. He looks easily ten years younger and as you can tell by the photos, doesn’t miss a step regarding the energy that he puts into each song. His backing band was nearly perfect, delivering the goods for the classics as well as the undercelebrated deep cuts.
How does he make all of this fit together into a seamless set? Ant sums it up from a previous interview in Forbes from 2013, “It has always been my intention to change the musical direction, imagery, and sound of each album. I still place great importance on the live show and enjoy playing the hits, album tracks, and rarities from my catalogue along with songs from the new album.” That focus shines in the live setting, and the capacity crowd was going bonkers from the first song to the final encore.
What does the future hold for Adam Ant? I have no idea, but after watching the incredible live show in London, I would say that he could easily do this for another decade. Let’s just hope we get another record to celebrate in the meantime.
