Adam Ant @The Ritz

Adam Ant and the Ministers of New Super Heavy Funk Punk @The Ritz, Manchester

The Dandy Highway Man isn’t feeling so dandy anymore.

So, Adam has replaced his Ants with a new Band; Will Crewdson, Tom Edwards, Dave Barbarossa, Leigh Gorman and Jola, also known as the Ministers of New Super Heavy Funk Punk. Of course Barbarossa and Gorman once left the original Ants to pursue a career in Bow Wow Wow but there seemed to be no hard feelings here. Adam strutted on to the stage an hour late to a riled audience, looking like an amalgamation of a pirate and biker, and leered at the crowd as the deep Bass-line of Cartrouble shook the room. As Adam delivered the first line of the song, all discrepancies surrounding his tardiness were forgotten. 

The first half an hour of the show served to remind the audience that Prince Charming was not always a pop star. Thunderous Punk Riffs and a sexually charged performance, with lyrics to match, almost erased the Dandy Highway man persona and replaced it with a Punk Veteran. But by song 7 Ant gives into audience pleas and blasts out “Stand and Deliver!” which is quickly followed by the jangly-upbeat Ant Music.

The songs sounded stripped back but the duel drum kits and harsh guitars somehow replaced the multi-layered tracks found of Ants record and translated the hits into fantastic live renditions. Goody Two Shoes almost cements Ant’s status as pop icon.  Ant however is quick to shatter the pop image that the hits inevitably carry with them as he breathes to the audience “I may look nice, but I’m dirty”.

The show ended with a blend of the thrashing punk guitar riffs of Physical (You’re So) as Ant was clearly reminded of the Ritz’s curfew of 11pm. As Ant sauntered off stage to leave his band mates to one last cadenza, the audience roared their approval at the marvellous blend of his Prince Charming pop hits and early punk rock. Ant proved why he deserves to continue to sell out venues and if you get the chance, at £20, this is not a show to be missed.