"Kings of the Wild Frontier" is the second studio album by English new wave band Adam and the Ants, released on November 7, 1980, by CBS Records in the UK and Epic Records internationally. The album marked a significant evolution in the band's sound and helped establish Adam Ant as a major figure in early 1980s pop culture. It reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and became the best-selling UK album of 1981, cementing the band's place in music history. The album also won Best British Album at the 1982 Brit Awards.
After his original backing band, the Ants, left to form Bow Wow Wow under the direction of Malcolm McLaren, Adam Ant recruited guitarist Marco Pirroni as his new songwriting partner. Together, they recorded Kings of the Wild Frontier, incorporating a new sound characterized by a distinctive mix of punk rock, new wave, and tribal rhythms. The album’s bold, unique sound was heavily influenced by Ant’s vision of a "tribal" and wild west aesthetic, reflected in both the music and the band's visual style.
The album was a major commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and spawning three massive hit singles. "Kings of the Wild Frontier" was released in July 1980, and it reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. "Dog Eat Dog" reached No. 4 in the UK, and "Antmusic," released in December 1980, reached No. 2 in the UK and topped the charts for five weeks in Australia. The success of Kings of the Wild Frontier was propelled by the unique sound of "Antmusic," a track that was a departure from the conventional rock and pop of the time, offering a rhythm-heavy, anthem-like quality that became iconic. Notably, the initial UK version of "Antmusic" included a fade-in intro, but once the song became a hit, the 7-inch single mix with its now-famous drumstick intro was used in subsequent album pressings. The album also had a significant impact internationally, particularly in Australia, where "Antmusic" was a chart-topping hit. The album’s sound and visuals helped Adam and the Ants become one of the most distinctive bands of the early 1980s.
Kings of the Wild Frontier has been reissued and remastered several times over the years. In 2004, a remastered edition was released with bonus tracks, and in 2016, a multi-disc "Super Deluxe Edition" was released, which included a DVD of the long out-of-print "Ants in Japan" concert video, as well as a CD of a 1981 Chicago concert. This edition even managed to chart for a week at No. 69 on the UK Albums Chart.
The cover art for Kings of the Wild Frontier was created by photographer Peter Ashworth, who described how the iconic image was created. In early August 1980, Adam Ant and the band rehearsed in a small room in Brixton, and footage was captured from a monitor during a video test. This led to the creation of the powerful sleeve image. The black-and-white design reflects the album’s tribal themes, with Adam Ant in full costume—a mix of military, Native American, and punk influences. The US version of the album, released by Epic Records, differed slightly from the UK version. It dropped the track "Making History" and replaced it with two tracks that Adam Ant had written prior to his collaboration with Marco Pirroni: "(You're So) Physical" and "Press Darlings."
Kings of the Wild Frontier is considered one of the defining albums of the early 1980s and a landmark in the new wave genre. Adam and the Ants' visual style—marked by pirate-inspired costumes, tribal rhythms, and bold, rebellious imagery—became iconic and influenced countless other artists. The album’s success paved the way for Adam Ant's continued solo career, and his distinctive blend of theatricality and music remains a hallmark of his legacy. The album was instrumental in popularizing the "Antmusic" sound, a blend of rock, punk, new wave, and tribal rhythms, which would define the band’s sound throughout their most commercially successful period.
