24 March 2022

Book: Blood, Sweat, Leather & Tears.
The Original Adam & The Ants story 1977-80

Publisher: Old Dog Books

Content: “Everyone’s heard of chart-topping Adam and the Ants, but long before that period, there was a more subversive, stylish, futuristic punk-infused band. Little is known about what went on in this secretive clandestine world. These days people whisper about those debauched times and are curious to know the truth. Step inside these pages to find out how four cocksure northern kids from Bradford got involved with the most exciting, but the most reviled band ever. How did they cope on the streets of London? Meet characters like Simone who worked in a fetish club. She was the one ‘Ant lady’ everyone wanted to date. Who succeeded? Then, meet the ‘Ant kids’ who Loved The Ants and no one was going to stop them from following their band period. How did all these underage kids who sometimes had to come to gigs in their school uniforms get into shows? They would often find themselves in dangerous situations where rampaging Skinheads would turn up to attack them at gigs. And finally What’s it like sharing a house with Adam, Filmmaker Julien Temple, and Adam’s girlfriend at the time, Actress Amanda Donohoe.”

Author: Johna Johnson.
A writer and well-known face and much-loved character on the UK Punk Scene back in the 70s. He followed – as a fan – and worked – professionally – with a lot of bands of that era.

Louder Than War about the book: “One of the book’s highlights is the cast of characters
it contains, from fucked up hitch-hikers to submissive sex slaves. While this makes for an entertaining read, I would hazard a guess that this is where some of the artistic license is
used that makes the book a novel. While some characters are verifiably real people, I would
bet money that others are not. Not that this matters, as it ensures the book is peopled by characters who add to the story, as all novels should. How much is an artistic license anyway?” Full review here.

Watch a 10-minute introduction to the phenomenon of Adam And The Ants…

Book order info: here.