Dynamic, British-born singer and performer Adam Ant had a pivotal year in 1982 when his former backing band, The Ants, successfully transformed itself from more of a heavier, punk rock band to a popular pop and new wave act.
After scoring several hit records in his native England with that group, Adam Ant (born Stuart Goddard), broke away and put his trajectory as a solo artist into motion. The result was Friend or Foe, Ant’s very first album as a solo artist, and it was astounding.
Besides containing the performer’s signature song, the rockabilly-inspired romp “Goody Two Shoes,” the album made Adam Ant a worldwide star thanks to MTV airplay and his ever-growing reputation as one of the most alluring artists of the time. Becoming a sex symbol and a fashion plate almost overnight thanks to his newfound success, Friend or Foe was the album that drastically expanded Adam’s fan base.
Put it this way: It was the record where the cheerleaders and popular kids at my high school started to accept Ant’s percussive-heavy brand of pop — a significant change from it being embraced by the freaks and outsiders only.
Needless to say, a tour that centers on Ant performing that key album in its entirety so many years after its release should be appealing to many fans. For those who still keep that undying torch of 80s music alive and burning, this type of show is a really big deal.
If you asked any of the 700-plus fans packed into Clearwater’s Capitol Theater last night to witness the local, sold-out stop on the tour, each would more than likely give you their own account of the role Adam’s first solo album played in their individual upbringing.
Instead, they made their appreciation known through the incredible roar that was unleashed once Ant took the stage on Saturday night. Strutting out where his five-piece band (including two drummers) had already taken its place, Ant, now 64, swiftly made his way to his mic stand and wasted no time in getting things going.
Donning a sleek blue jacket, skin tight jeans, tall black boots and a wide-brimmed straw hat, his gypsy pirate was almost as intriguing as his ability to still command a stage in mesmerizing manner — and he let the music do the talking for him for the course of the night. Launching instantly into the exact running order of the original album, Ant got things started with the record’s title track, and it was evident that the singer was in fine form.
Svelte, swaggering, focused and precise, Adam Ant is, in 2019, at one of the highest points of his lengthy career. Vocally strong and visually stunning, he has reestablished himself as a charismatic figure since his welcomed return to the concert stage in 2010 following a lengthy departure from performing.
Sailing smoothly through the material, Adam did the songs justice and gave them a harder, spikier edge by trading the brassy horns that were featured throughout the record for the more aggressive guitar work his band offered. The funk-inspired “Cajun Twisters” sounded especially sharp as did the cheeky pop ditty “Made of Money.” Of course, the loudest ovation was heard when the program reached side two, song one — “Goody Two Shoes” — which inspired frenetic dancing from everyone in the room.
Ant can be hard to read, and was difficult to detect his mood or demeanor due to his lack of onstage banter, but he seemed to gain steam and enthusiasm as he trekked through the album and seemed visually pleased after doing such a stellar job of delivering it when it came to a close. Other than a few utterances of “Thank you very much,” Ant kept his between-song dialogue to a minimum.
It wasn’t until the album’s closer, the instrumental Spaghetti Western-themed “Man Called Marco,” that he offered some spoken words; “That was the Friend or Foe album…and now some other songs I hope you’ll enjoy,” he said.
That intro kicked open the door for the barrage of songs that followed. Offering a variety of material from different stages of his career, Ant delivered razor-sharp versions of Ants hits like “Dog Eat Dog,” “Ant Music” and “Prince Charming” as well as standouts from his solo career like “Strip” and “Vive le Rock.”
Never letting up or allowing the pace to wane, Adam Ant plowed through the duration of the performance like the seasoned, savvy performer he is.
Alluding to the fact that he’d be revisiting some of his earlier material, the harder-edged, more punk-inspired songs “Zerox” and “Beat My Guest” still packed a mighty wallop and sounded incredibly fresh and contemporary. For the latter, Ant toyed with the audience by saying it was time to “slow it down,” referring to the frantic pace he’d led all night. It was clear he was joking when the initial, crunchy guitar chords rang out and opened what ended up being the most ferocious number of the night.
The solid two-performance came to a close with an encore that ended with the seductive, blues-heavy “Physical (You’re So),” which has been a common show closer for Adam throughout the years.
Exhilarated, thrilled and sweaty from nonstop dancing, many walked away from the theater being reminded of what they knew but might have forgotten about Adam Ant: He’s one hell of a performer and he can still command a stage and make himself a focal point that begs full, undivided attention when he takes the stage.
For this night, the freaks and outsiders commingled with the jocks and the popular kids who were once separated by social barriers during their high school years. Everyone gathered without an agenda other than to relive their youth and let Adam Ant take them to another place and time thanks to his undeniable talent and appeal.
Setlist
Friend or Foe
Something Girls
Place in the Country
Desperate But Not Serious
Here Comes the Grump
Hello, I Love You
Goody Two Shoes
Crackpot History and the Right to Lie
Made of Money
Cajun Twisters
Try This for Sighs
Man Called Marco
Dog Eat Dog
Kick!
Vive le Rock
Antmusic
Zerox
Cartrouble
Ants Invasion
Prince Charming
Strip
Lady/Fall In
Kings of the Wild Frontier
Beat My Guest
Stand and Deliver
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Press Darlings
Red Scab
Physical (You’re So)
This article appears in Best of the Bay 2019.
