Two drummers pounding out a Burundi beat, a singer in war paint and a pirate coat. In 1981 there was nothing else on British TV that looked or sounded like Adam and the Ants.
Losing a band, then winning a country
Adam Ant formed the Ants in London in 1977 on the punk scene. Their debut, Dirk Wears White Sox (1979), was dark, arty post-punk and became a cult record. In 1980 his manager, Malcolm McLaren, took the band away to form Bow Wow Wow. Adam rebuilt with guitarist Marco Pirroni, added two drummers, and Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980) made them the biggest act in Britain. It spent 12 weeks at number one on the UK album chart. Prince Charming (1981), the third and last Ants album, went more theatrical still. “Stand and Deliver” and “Prince Charming” both went to number one in 1981. Adam went solo in 1982 with “Goody Two Shoes”.
Is Adam and the Ants new wave?
Yes. Adam and the Ants came from punk and became one of the biggest British new wave acts of the early ’80s. Their tribal drums, chanted choruses and costume-drama style belong to the new romantic side of new wave.
The essential Adam and the Ants
- “Antmusic” (1980)
- “Kings of the Wild Frontier” (1980)
- “Stand and Deliver” (1981)
- “Prince Charming” (1981)
- “Goody Two Shoes” (Adam Ant, 1982)
Adam Ant today
Adam Ant still tours, and the hits still get the crowd chanting. Official site: adam-ant.net.
Hear Adam and the Ants on New Wave Radio
You’ll hear them on Back to British 70s–80s. Read how McLaren fits the story on our Malcolm McLaren page.
Related: Malcolm McLaren · Spandau Ballet · Billy Idol
