Adam Ant at Irving Plaza

Adam Ant (born Stuart Leslie Goddard in London, England, on November 3, 1954) gained popularity as the lead singer of the pioneer punk rock band Adam and the Ants from 1977 to 1983 and, after the demise of the band, as a solo artist and as an actor, appearing in live theater and over two dozen films and television episodes from 1985 to 2003. He then disappeared from the limelight again and spent time in psychiatric wards. Ant rejuvenated his musical career in 2010, performing live and recording a new album. He also is involved in the Black Dog campaign, which promotes better understanding of mental illness.

Ant made a colorful MTV-enhanced splash in the United States during the punk, new wave and new romantic invasions of the early 1980s, but Ant’s greatest musical success remained in his native England and in Europe, with only marginal response on American shores. Nevertheless, it appears an American cult following has remained faithful to him and cheered him on for two nights at Irving Plaza. Dressing again in his pirate wardrobe, although now bespectacled and noticeably pudgier, a charismatic and energetic Ant tonight kept his audience bopping to the dance beat of his catalogue of songs for nearly two hours. Ant’s vocals were flatter than ever, to where often it sounded like he was rapping rather than singing, and he put that new style to best use, not as a failure but as a new direction. Meanwhile, the music was uncannily modern. Ant’s four musicians built the songs around contemporary sounds, borrowing a bit of inspiration from contemporary punk and even metal sounds. To his credit, although his early songs comprised a large art of the set, Ant’s concert never felt like a nostalgic trip to his gravy days. His underlying statement was that he was now healthy and that his live performances were ready to try to conquer the new world again.