Adam Ant has recruited original drummer, Dave Barbarossa and bass player Leigh Gorman to join his brand new band, entitled: ‘The Ministers Of New Super Heavy Funk Punk.’
The band also features two members of his current band, Jola – drums and Tom Edwards – guitar, implemented by Will Crewdson – guitar. Dave Barbarossa and Leigh Gorman (and Adam) were the very last line-up to perform the Dirk Wears White Sox album live at the Electric Ballroom, London on 31st December 1979, prior to Malcolm McLaren poaching Barbarossa and Gorman for Bow Wow Wow and prior to Adam, forming Adam And The Ants 2 and going onto enjoy global success.
Last year Adam released his highly acclaimed, Adam Ant Is The BlueBlack Hussar In Marrying The Gunners’s Daughter, on his own BlueBlack Hussar Record label. Supporting the release with a forty-four city US tour, last summer, which was the culmination of over 300 live shows, Adam has performed across the world, since the summer of 2010. Last year Adam also appeared on the Oprah Winfrey & Late Night with Jimmy Fallon shows.
Legendary film director, Jack Bond, (director of the extraordinary film ‘Dali In New York’) captured Adam’s return to the music business with his documentary The Blueblack Hussar. The film captures Adam playing at some of the old venues he played in his punk days, 100 Club, Electric Ballroom and a get together with producer Mark Ronson and Jamie Reynolds (The Klaxons) at the original Sex Pistol rehearsal premises in Denmark Street. Before moving onto Paris, where he was filmed recording some of his favourite French pop tunes by Johnny Hallyday, Serge Gainsbourg and Plastic Bertrand...and meets with his favourite actress, Charlotte Rampling. It also captures Adam performing at London’s O2 and ends with him taking the stage at London’s Hyde Park, as a special guest to Rod Stewart, with Jon Bon Jovi looking on approvingly from the side of the stage. The film is co-produced by Adam and Jack Bond for Dal-Segno Pictures and will be released later this year.
The Hammersmith Apollo show, on 19th April, coincides with Record Store Day, which sees the release of the Dirk Wears White Sox album, as a 5,000 limited edition (3,000 white vinyl) mastered by Adam and including a special bonus insert package containing publicity items from Adam’s personal archive. This constitutes the second release on Adam’s Blublack Hussar label, licensed by Sony Music, who have allowed Adam complete artistic freedom to produce, what Adam calls, “a labour of Love,” a collectable for record buyers, vinyl lovers and music lovers in general. Adam will also be making an appearance at Rough Trade Shop on Portobello Road and at Sister Ray's in Berwick St during the day on April 19th.
The Hammersmith Apollo show will be the only performance of Dirk Wears White Sox in it’s entirety. It will be a two part show, the second part being a selection from his twenty-two Top 40 singles, including three number One Hits, Stand And Deliver, Prince Charming and Goody Two Shoes. The show is conceived and designed by Adam personally and will feature an exclusive limited edition of T Shirts and other merchandise, chosen from his archive and produced by his fashion line, Blueblack Hussar.
Song selections from Dirk Wears White Sox will feature heavily in the other five shows on the current tour. The full dates are
April
1st Manchester HMV Ritz
3rd Edinburgh Liquid Rooms
4th Newcastle O2 Academy
11th Cheltenham Town Hall
12th Yeovil Westlands
19th London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo
