THIS CHARMING MAN: Dandy Camden Town legend Adam Ant on returning to the live scene
Pictured above: Adam Ant
Published: 26 April, 2012
by DAN CARRIER
AS he thinks back to some of the capital’s “spit and sawdust” venues he once played, Adam Ant declares that he’s delighted to be performing live again.
Speaking to the New Journal this week, the Dandy Highwayman and Camden Town legend promised his original fans would not be disappointed by the set he has put together for the Apple Cart festival in Victoria Park on Sunday, June 3.
“After such a long time away from music it is so nice to be gigging again,” he said.
“The last year or so I have been playing live with the band, and I figured that if I came to one of my gigs as a punter, I’d want to see Adam Ant and the band I had grown up with, and I’d want to hear the tunes I remember.”
He has had a tough choice to make when it comes to the set.
In the early 1980s the Ants scored 15 hits, including such seminal sing-a-longs as Stand and Deliver and Prince Charming.
“I’m generally playing everything,” he said.
“There were nine LPs to choose from so I had a good number. Everything we play is 100 per cent live.
“There is no samples. It meant taking time to find the right band to perform, and that is what I have done.”
He is enjoying the idea of getting into the British summer festival circuit – a new experience for the musician.
“I was never much into festivals when I was a kid – paying £10 for a glass of water and sharing one loo with 500,000 people,” he said.
“But they are not like that anymore. Before I played a couple of festivals last year, the only festival I had been to was the Isle of Wight festival in 1970. I slept through Jimi Hendrix.”
The outdoor Apple Cart event in east London spans the long weekend during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, and if waving a flag at a posh person isn’t your idea of fun, then Field Day and Apple Cart festivals, which run on consecutive days in the park, could be a welcome alternative.
Such is Adam’s enduring appeal, even a long break from making music has not dimmed his popularity.
This summer, after his London date at Apple Cart, he embarks on a UK tour and then heads to the US for further dates throughout autumn.
And he still has a soft spot for the many venues he played in Camden Town.
“I did all the spit and sawdust pubs,” he said.
“But perhaps my favorite venue was the Music Machine, now Koko.
“It is such a lovely Victorian building, and a very special place to play.”
Other highlights at Apple Cart include Billy Bragg, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Inner City and Gaz Coombes from Supergrass. It has been designed to have a family-friendly favour, with plenty of sideshows and attractions put together with both adults and youngsters in mind.
As well as the headliners and sound systems such as Dig It, the emphasis is on fun, with cabaret, art, food and plenty of games for all to join in.
Field Day has become synonymous with imaginative and progressive bills.
It offers a more dancey vibe with headliners such as ambient musician Laurel Halo (aka Brooklyn-based female Ina Cube), Californian noise-pop outfit Crocodiles, hazy electronica Warp trio Sunless ’97, !K7 Records’ Danish shimmering pop quartet When Saints Go Machine, and Australian four-piece Last Dinosaurs.
Organiser Tom Baker said: “I’m really excited about the line-up for Field Day 2012.
It’s been something of a challenge after last year’s was so strong, but with Franz Ferdinand closing the Eat Your Own Ears stage and with acts like Tortoise playing I’m hoping it will be just as good.
“As ever it’s hugely exciting to welcome acts from further afield; I’m particularly delighted to announce Afrocubism featuring Toumani and some incredible Cuban musicians – they’re going to blow people’s minds.”