As we walk down into the 100 club and look at the stage, there's an instant injection of excitement.......there's 2 drum kits on stage! We're in for a good night, surely Adam's gonna bang out a load of 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' era Burundi drumming classics?
Having been lucky enough to see Adam a few weeks ago at the Highbury Garage I no longer have the worried anticipation of whether or not he's still got it, he most definitely still has. That night the gig kicked off before 8pm and we were treated to 3 hours of career spanning material, and a few covers over 2 full sets.
Tonight we've got here for 8pm, there's a few familiar faces in the crowd from the last gig, we're expecting a repeat performance......8.30 comes and goes, 9.30........10.00.........10.40............there's been rumours that Adam isn't in the building yet, and no-one knows where he is..........then the DJ fades out and the lights go down, Adam and his band stroll out onto the stage. He's dressed in a full length overcoat and his pirate hat, clutching a can of Guinness, he grins insanely and they kick into early Adam and the Ants punk number 'Plastic Surgery'. A couple of minutes in and the late showing is all forgiven, the crowd is singing along and the mosh pit is pumping.
He tells us there's going to be 2 sets even if they pull the plugs.... In the first half we mainly get a string of 'Dirk wears White Sox' era classics. New wave tracks like 'Deutscher Girls' and 'Catholic Day' have stood the test of time very well, and as far as this crowd is concerned tonight, every song is a classic. Everybody knows the words to b-sides like 'Christian D'Or' and album tracks 'Never trust a man (with egg on his face ). And Adam gives us an amusing anecdote before 'Cleopatra', saying the song about the "wide mouthed girl" was dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor's Daughter who he went out with when he was at art college.
The band tonight are excellent, even though none of them seem to be too sure which song is coming next until Adam shouts it out. The two drummers, one boy , one girl, are in perfect time, leaving no margin for error, and it's at the end of the first set that they finally get a chance to show us what they've got with a track from 'Kings' - 'Dog Eat Dog'. The effect is amazing , the classic Adam and the Ants sound is perfectly created, and Adam's voice is just like it always was, strong and in your face. The band leave the stage and leave us salivating for more of the same...........
.............Adam and the band swiftly return for 'part 2'........they did a few cover versions last time, and kick off with one here, T-Rex's 'Get it On'. It's an alright cover version, but we're not here for that! Adam and the Ants did 3 albums and Adam did 5 solo efforts, he's got plenty of material to dip into, and most of these people here have waited over 25 years to hear it........Anyway, we get another cover, and another..........and another......................................and another. Adam seems annoyed with the crowd for not getting into his wedding disco party and gets a bit nasty with some over enthusiastic "I'm the last of the punks" attitude and spitting at the crowd. When he introduces yet another cover version by saying " how about a bit of Rolling Stones?" , someone sums up the feeling of the whole crowd and shouts out " how about a bit of Adam and the Ants?!" They play 'Honky Tonk Woman', then we eventually get early Ants classic '(You're So) Physical', the relieved crowd start getting into it and get going again, then.................finito, Adam leaves the stage and it's all over.
We leave with mixed emotions, yes we had just witnessed one of the greatest acts of the 1980s banging out some classic tunes in spectacular form, but, oh, what could have been ! There was no 'Stand and Deliver', no 'Antmusic' , no 'Kings of the Wild Frontier' , no 'Prince Charming', I could go on but you get the jist! All of these tunes were just waiting to be given a run out, embellished with two drummers as they were intended! It all just seems such a wasted opportunity. He played all of these songs at the Garage a couple of weeks back, and superbly, but with the one drummer. Frustrating!
In hindsight, looking at the setlist, we did get a good amount of classic Adam and the Ants, and the fans here tonight knew every single one. But if you're going to charge £50 to get in , and £30 for a t-shirt, play the hits, please!
Setlist:
Plastic Surgery
Deutscher Girls
Catholic Day
Beat My Guest
Christian D'or
Why Do Girls Like Horses
Zerox
Cleopatra
Never trust a man (with egg on his face)
Car Trouble
B-Side Baby
Viva le Rock
Scorpios
Red Scab
Wonderful
Dog Eat Dog
Get It On ( T-rex cover)
Wild Thing/Only rock n Roll/Shakin all Over
No Fun ( Stooges cover)
Cast Iron Arm (Peanuts Wilson cover)
Honky Tonk Woman (Rolling Stones cover)
(You're So) Physical
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