Adam Ant and Shooze at The Marble Factory - Bristol gig review

Posted on: 2015-04-12

Our rating:

If you ignore the odd iPhone being held aloft, it was very close to being there in the early days! Ant could probably make more money churning out the obvious hits to a very different crowd but this is very real, very punk, very good.


 

Adam Ant returned to Bristol on Friday 10 April 2015 for a gig at The Marble Factory (at Motion) without his Ants. Support was from ska band Shooze who definitely have more fans now after a great set.

Adam Ant at The Marble Factory in Bristol

Shooze Review – Bristol Marble Factory – 10 Apr 15

Brothers Jon and Ryan Kings, with Ricky-Lee and Mickey took to the stage at Bristol’s Marble Factory to address the assembling eclectic crowd of Ant fans with an almost apologetic presence. Mercifully this was very quickly brushed aside as they grabbed the attention of the room. The clean, tight, Ska beat felt somehow instantly familiar as the evening’s journey to an earlier anti-establishment age began. The Banker bashing anthem Trouble in London Town over and the crowd on board, Kings turns his attention to substance abuse and dead end jobs in Minimum Wages, another oddly familiar Ska beat reminiscent of early Police. No sooner had the connection with Sumner, Copeland and Summers been made, the iconic bass of Walking on the Moon shakes the cider cans, and there we are! The miners are on strike and Maggie is in number 10. The Kings brothers vocals easily match Sting note for note, an achievement in itself and the tight reggae beat offering a faithful Live Lounge worthy cover of a classic, perhaps lacking the subtlety of Copeland’s technique but otherwise superb.

Anyone in the room not paying attention is now tuned in as the boys confidently tackle Cruel Love, Kings polished effortless vocals holding the room with bigger cheers at each pause. Rolling on the wrong side, giving perhaps a whiff of Kasabian leading into an impressive rock version of Sign o the Times, yes that one….who saw that coming? With the tempo increasing to the finish line, the lads bang out Pussy Magnet with Kings injecting colossal amounts of Brummy angst in the finale - Leave me Alone!

You know you’re onto a winner when you don’t want the support act to finish. Four hugely likeable lads with plenty to say and talent to make it relevant. Bravo.

Adam Ant Review – Bristol Marble Factory – 10 Apr 15

I’m 11. I’m on holiday in Great Yarmouth – 1983, I convince my mum to buy me Dirk Wear White Sox on 12” vinyl from Woolworth’s.

Fast forward 32 years and look who’s in Bristol playing his seminal post punk piece from end to end, it’s only Adam! Anyone in the crowd looking for an 80’s Spandau style cheese fest is going to be sadly disappointed. The dandy highwayman is very definitely not on the guest list and this is a much more serious affair, the closest thing to going back to 1979 without a DeLorian.

As Ant, accompanied with his trademark pair of drummers embarks on Cartouble with that familiar ageless London accent asking if we had ever had a ride in a light blue car, the crowd raised their arms in unified approval and Ant was in town. The band did a superb job of recreating the original sound including authentic Ant style backing vocals. The haunting guitar intro to Nine Plan Failed was well received by the crowd who had settled in for this rare treat and Adam seemed on fine form. Tabletalk, never my favourite track let the tempo drop off a little, but Ant – always the showman brought it back with Cleopatra as his Leather Jacket came off to reveal his many tattoos.

The Family of Noise gave some light relief with its jolly beat before Ant embarks on some new offerings, very much in the same punk style as Dirk and very much to the appreciation of the audience. With Ant only veering off piste to visit Deutscher Girls and the massive crowd pleasing Kings of the Wild Frontier, the wonderful recreation of Dirk followed by some newer songs was a huge success. If you ignore the odd iPhone being held aloft, it was very close to being there in the early days! Ant could probably make more money churning out the obvious hits to a very different crowd but this is very real, very punk, very good.

4/5

Reviewed by Daz James for 365Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol.



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.