Adam Ant Stands and Delivers at The Cheese and Grain in Frome on 10th November 2011

Back in the 1980s, when pop stars had to sell many thousands of records to achieve a hit single, a glamorous and sexy dandy highwayman ruled the radio airwaves spewing forth a succession of catchy top 10 singles including three number ones.  These were fantastic pop songs with brilliant videos to match and his posters adorned many a bedroom wall.  In 2011, Adam Ant may no longer be the king of the wild frontier, yet he is choosing to kick off his new tour with a warm-up at Frome's Cheese and Grain.  

There's a good turnout to the show, with many faces (including some of the venue's staff) painted with a white stripe across the nose, while one or two others have gone further and are attired in full Ant attire.  The crowd is indeed eclectic, and an air of anticipation fills the venue, although as some comebacks can be turgid and cringeworthy affairs my anticipation was tinged with doubt and skepticism too, as this could be embarrassing to watch.  

Long gone are the glory days of the Ants, and now, in an era when talentless trite wannabees vie for the public's attention on cheap talent shows, Adam is attempting to revitalise his career following a well publicised breakdown in which he was even sectioned. Tonight he strutted confidently onto the stage flanked by a high quality new band: the Good the Bad and the Lovely Posse, complete with two drummers for added impact which is noticeable during the more tribal numbers.  Adam has made an effort with his appearance too: eccentric as ever he looked somewhat like a bespectacled Captain Jack Sparrow, while the guitarist and bassist that flank him are cooly casual in t-shirts and jeans.  

In his mid-fifties now, Adam was not quite as energetic around the stage as in his glory years yet he still managed to put on an impeccable performance, and looked great for a man of his age.  There was still abundance of swagger and showmanship and this as well as some self-deprecating banter and humour had us eating out of his hand throughout a nearly two hour show.

The set, wow! What can I say!  It was magnificent and encompassed his whole career although he seemed happy to delve into more challenging depths rather than just run through a bunch of crowd pleasing greatest hits.  As an old punker I had feared he may not play much early material yet I needn't have worried.   The set kicked off somewhat tentatively with Plastic Surgery during which Adam seemed to be finding his feet in the first half of the song, but by it's completion he was firing on all cylinders.  Other early numbers Kick, Car Trouble, Zerox and Deutscher Girls (in which 2 raunchy backing singers Georgina Baillie, famous from the Russell Brand/Jonathan Ross Sachsgate episode and Twinkle from the opening support band made their first appearance) were all played within the opening half hour, and I saw that everyone else was loving these as much as I was.  

There was renewed vigor in even the more poppy stuff, and the band slickly had the material nailed perfection as the set progressed. Stand and Deliver, Puss in Boots, Kings of the Wild Frontier, Wonderful and Ant Music and Goody 2 Shoes were all faultless; while one new song entitled Vince Taylor which is a welcome taster for what we should expect on his forthcoming album due in January, and also gave Adam the chance to have a dig at Morrisey who he alleged stole Taylor's look.  There was a quick dig at Live Aid too as he played Vive Le Rock, but this wasn't a bitter and twisted has-been on stage, instead a wickedly grinning,cheerful and above all charismatic frontman.

For B-Side Baby, he produced a harmonica which he played with great gusto and finished the set with a couple of classic Ants b-sides Red Scab and Fall-In.

A few minutes later the Posse returned for the first encore which featured a rapturously received Prince Charming, the rarely played and chaotic Fat Fun and two remarkably well executed and entertaining T-Rex numbers, Get it On and 20th Century Boy.

The band returns for one final encore, my favourite Adam Ant number the brilliant Physical (You're so) which after a thunderous and flirty delivery has Adam tearing off his t-shirt at the end, which unfortunately wasn't a pretty sight.

As a tour warm-up this was gobsmackingly good, Adam certainly stood and delivered and the punters in Frome (myself included) appeared to love it.