Marco Pirroni


Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni frequently credited simply as Marco, is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many others from the late 1970s to the present day.

Early years

Born to Italian parents in Camden Town, London, Pirroni made his first appearance on stage with Siouxsie and the Banshees in their début gig, at 100 Club Punk Festival in 1976. Sid Vicious, future bassist for the Sex Pistols, was on drums. Pirroni also formed a short-lived punk rock band called the Models with future fellow Ants member Terry Lee Miall and future Wolfgang Press member Mick Allen, plus singer Cliff Fox. They recorded a Peel Session and released the single "Freeze"/"Man of the Year" on the Step Forward label in 1977. After his departure from The Models, Pirroni started a new project, Rema-Rema, a short-lived London punk rock group, consisting of Gary Asquith, Marco Pirroni, Michael Allen, Mark Cox and Dorothy Prior. The band released a four-track EP, Wheel in the Roses, featured one side of studio recordings and another of live material. However, the group dissolved when Marco Pirroni joined Adam and the Ants.

Adam and the Ants/Adam Ant

Pirroni was lead guitarist and co-songwriter in the second incarnation of Adam and the Ants, co-penning two UK number one singles and a further four Top Ten hits, with Ant. The two albums he co-wrote for Adam and the Ants, Kings of [the Wild Frontier] and Prince Charming, both made the Top 10 in the UK Albums Chart.
When Adam and the Ants disbanded in 1982, Pirroni was retained as Adam Ant's co-writer and studio guitarist; they produced another number-one single and an album, followed by four more Top 20 hits. Ant and Pirroni won two shared Ivor Novello Awards for "Stand and Deliver".

The Wolfmen

Pirroni was a member of the Wolfmen with Chris Constantinou. They released one EP, several singles, wrote music for television advertisements and released a début album, entitled Modernity Killed Every Night. The Wolfmen released their second album, Married to the Eiffel Tower, in 2011.

Personal life

After living in London's Marylebone for several years, Pirroni relocated to north Derbyshire in 2013.

Discography

With Rema-Rema
  • Wheel in the Roses
With Adam and the Ants
With Cowboys International
With Adam Ant
With Sinéad O'Connor
With Spear of Destiny
With The Slits
  • Revenge of the Killer Slits
With The Wolfmen
With Department S
  • "Wonderful Day"
  • "Is Vic There "
With Headcount
  • "Lullabies For Dogs"