Adam And The Ants

Adam and the Ants were an English rock band that formed in London in 1977. Two versions of the band, both fronted by Adam Ant, existed between 1977 and 1982. The first was founded in May 1977 and called the Ants until November of that year. They later changed their style from punk rock to post-punk and new wave and released one album.The final line-up of this incarnation consisted of Adam Ant, Dave Barbarossa, Matthew Ashman, and Leigh Gorman— all of whom except Ant left in January 1980 at the suggestion of manager Malcolm McLaren to form Bow Wow Wow.Following this, a second version of Adam and the Ants was formed, with only Ant himself remaining from the original band. It also included guitarist Marco Pirroni and drummer-and-producer Chris Hughes and was noted for its use of Burundi drums. This incarnation existed from February 1980 to March 1982 and achieved significant commercial success in the UK. With their music videos receiving airplay on MTV and Ant appearing as a guest VJ on the station, they are associated in the United States with the Second British Invasion.In March 1982, Adam and the Ants was disbanded and Ant embarked on a solo career, although he continued working with Pirroni.Before forming Adam and the Ants, Adam Ant (Stuart Leslie Goddard) played bass in pub rock group Bazooka Joe, who are now mostly known for headlining the show at which the Sex Pistols played their first gig on 6 November 1975 at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Ant has since recounted how he left the band directly due to a dispute over Sex Pistols' performance, which he was the only member of the band to have enjoyed. While looking to form a new band, Ant 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. In early 1977, Ant formed a new band named The Ants with Lester Square on guitar, Andy Warren on bass guitar, and Paul Flanagan on drums. Ant inducted the three sidemen into his band at an initial band meeting at the Roxy Club on 23 April 1977, the night of a gig there by Siouxsie and the Banshees. A month later, Square left to finish his course at Hornsey College of Art and he later formed The Monochrome Set.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.