BIO
Tentatively called the B-sides they practiced regularly over the following months but, lacking a drummer, never managed to play a gig. Meanwhile, Adam Ant had befriended some influential figures in the burgeoning London punk scene, most notably Jordan, who worked in Malcolm McLaren's and Vivienne Westwood's SEX boutique store. Auditioning members for a new band the Ants eventually formed in early 1977 consisting of Lester Square (guitar), Andy Warren (bass guitar) and Paul Flanagan (drums). They played their first gig on May 5, 1977 at Muswell Hill
The band made their radio debut on the John Peel show on January 23, 1978. The following day they recorded Deutscher Girls and Plastic Surgery for the Jubilee soundtrack. 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.[citation needed] The band struggled to find success or even a record deal until 1978 when they were signed to Decca and released their first single "Young Parisians" to confused reviews and little success. Apparently unable to satisfactorily market the band, the label soon let the band go. Many of their early recordings and demos would eventually surface on bootleg records.
They also went through several lineup changes before eventually settling on the semi-stable lineup of Adam Ant (vocals) and guitar, Matthew Ashman (guitar), Andrew Warren (bass guitar) and Dave Barbarossa (drums). It would be this lineup that recorded their debut album. They also recorded three John Peel Sessions between 1978 and 1979 which were released in 2001 on The Complete Radio 1 Sessions.
In January 1980, McLaren convinced the rest of the band, then comprising guitarist Matthew Ashman, bassist Leigh Gorman and drummer Dave Barbarossa to leave the Ants and form Bow Wow Wow, fronted by Annabella Lwin.
A new version of the Ants was formed with Marco Pirroni (guitar), Kevin Mooney (bass guitar), and two drummers, Terry Lee Miall and Chris Hughes (Merrick). Pirroni would become an influential member of the group, co-writing many of their songs with Adam Ant.
The band signed a major label deal with CBS Records and began recording Kings of the Wild Frontier. That album was an enormous hit in the United Kingdom and put the band at the forefront of the New Romantic movement. The album reached #1 on the UK album charts on January 24, 1981.
Bassist Kevin Mooney left the band in 1981, and was replaced with Gary Tibbs who joined just in time to record the hit single "Stand & Deliver".
In November 1981, Adam & the Ants released another highly successful album, Prince Charming. The band had two United Kingdom #1 singles. "Stand and Deliver" was the #1 single in the UK for 5 weeks in May 1981.
The band seized the opportunities provided by music videos on the new MTV channel to develop a theatrical, charismatic on-screen persona. With romantic costumes and heavy make-up, the band was an early example of the New Romantic movement but they still showed their punk roots. Lavish videos were produced for the Prince Charming singles, including "Stand and Deliver", "Prince Charming", and "Ant Rap". In the "Stand and Deliver" video, Adam Ant is dressed as a "dandy highwayman" and generally indulges his exhibitionist tendencies. These videos helped break the band in the United States when MTV began airing them.
In early 1982, the band received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist. [6] In March of 1982, feeling certain band members "lacked enthusiasm", Adam Ant disbanded the group [7] and launched a solo career (though he retained Marco Pirroni as co-writer).
In 2000, a number of "rare" versions of early songs were released in a boxed set, Antbox, with moderate success.
2004 saw the "digitally remastered" re-release of the albums Dirk Wears White Sox, Kings of the Wild Frontier, and Prince Charming, with bonus material in the form of previously unreleased demo songs. These were overseen by Marco Pirroni, and Kings of the Wild Frontier and Prince Charming were remastered by Chris Hughes (a.k.a Merrick in the band's line-up).