Adam And The Ants Elastica
Fanzine
uyb-culture-kings-wild-frontier
The first record I bought with my own money was Adam & The Ants' Kings of the Wild Frontier. I was ten. I used to take it to school every day on the bus, before Walkmans existed, the weight of it in my schoolbag like something sacred. The fanzine tucked inside became a kind of bible. Punk flyers and badges. Black and white, cut and paste design. That Ant logo, tribal energy, was probably my first real lesson in graphic design. Years later, spotting Elastica's homage to it in their own album artwork felt like the circle closing, proof that early obsessions weren't just childish phases. I've still got my name written inside the sleeve in felt-tip. The US pressing with Red Scab on it is still a secret treasure of mine, that B-side's raw energy still catches me out. Listen to Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980) on Spotify, sadly it's the UK remaster but Red Scab is still available to listen to. Buy a copy of Elastica - Elastica (1995) on Discogs, but make sure you get the version with the Cleopatra flexi and exclusive magazine for the full experience.