Adam and the Ants | Artist

Adam and the Ants were an English new wave band formed 1977 in London by frontman Stuart Leslie Goddard aka Adam Ant. The founding lineup comprised Goddard (vocals, guitar, piano), Andy Warren (bass), Paul Flannagan (drums), Lester Square (guitar), Mark Ryan (guitar), David Barbe (drums, percussion), and Johnny Bivouac (guitar). Starting out simply as The Ants until November 1977, the band achieved considerable cult popularity during the transition from the punk rock era to the post punk and new wave era and were noted for their high camp, overtly sexualised stage performances and songs. Goddard had previously played bass in pub rock group Bazooka Joe, who's only claim to fame was they headlined when the Sex Pistols played their first concert on 6 November 1975 at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. After witnessing this, Goddard quit the band to form his own, inspired by the Pistols. The band made their radio debut on John Peel's show with a session that included the group's manager Jordan on lead vocals, as she would regularly do on live performances. The following day, they recorded "Deutscher Girls" and "Plastic Surgery" for the Jubilee soundtrack album. Although popular, the outfit were dismissed by the punk purists as something of a joke band. Touring extensively around the UK, often with Siouxsie and the Banshees, they proved to be unpopular with much of the British music press who disliked their fetishistic lyrics and imagery. The band recorded a total of 3 studio albums, 4 EP's and over a dozen singles before finally splitting up in 1982. Outstanding albums include Dirk Wears White Sox and Kings of the Wild Frontier. Adam and the Ants have inspired several artists in their short career, including Nine Inch Nails. In 1995, Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni joined Nine Inch Nails on stage to perform "Physical (You're So)", "Red Scab" and "Beat My Guest", three songs from Adam and the Ants' early catalogue. Nine Inch Nails also covered "Physical (You're So)" on their EP Broken.

Artist Website: adam-ant.net

Featured Albums: Adam and the Ants

Related Artists: Adam Ant, Bow Wow Wow, The Monochrome Set