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King Adora was a
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
group formed in Birmingham, England in 1998. The band released debut album ''
Vibrate You ''Vibrate You'' is the debut studio album by King Adora. It was released on 21 May 2001 on Superior Quality Recordings and reached number 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Produced by John Cornfield at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall, the album received mi ...
'' in May 2001 (charting at No. 30 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
) and follow-up '' Who Do You Love?'' in March 2004. The band was notable for their short, riotous live shows. Lack of label support and changing tastes in the UK guitar music scene led King Adora to split in 2005. In 2010, the band reformed to play shows in Birmingham and
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, but have been inactive since.


History


Formation and early singles (1998–2000)

In 1998, Matt Browne and Martyn Nelson formed King Adora in Birmingham, England, after leaving their respective bands the Blaggards and the Joylanders. Both bands regularly played at the Flapper & Firkin in the
city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
and the Jug Of Ale in Moseley was another popular hotspot. The first song the pair wrote was "
Friday Night Explodes "Friday Night Explodes" is an EP by British glam rock band King Adora, released on 3 August 2001 on Superior Quality Recordings. It was the final release from the band's debut album '' Vibrate You''. Background Writing and recording "Frida ...
", which explored their experiences of working all week and getting drunk at Snobs nightclub in the city every Friday night. They later added
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
-based bassist Robert Grimmit, who was the only person to attend the bass auditions. While out celebrating Grimmit's arrival, the band completed the lineup by adding drummer Dan Dabrowski, who cancelled plans to move to
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
in order to join. King Adora's name was reputedly taken from an oversized
adult toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate Human sexual activity, human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or Vibrator (sex toy), vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genita ...
the band had seen in a sex shop. Drawing strong glam influences from the likes of
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
,
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
,
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
,
T-Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
,
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and Blondie, King Adora drew comparisons to Suede, Pixies and early
Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...
. The band stressed that their colourful, glam image was not the be all and end all, saying "you can't just have an image, you've got to have good songs as well, look at bands like
Rachel Stamp Rachel Stamp are an English rock band formed in London in 1994. Their debut album, '' Hymns For Strange Children'', was released in 2000, followed by '' Oceans of Venus'' two years later. History Rachel Stamp were formed in 1994 when David R ...
, who are all image and don't have any songs". The band met manager Mark Chester (who thought King Adora "were like
The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
, they were the perfect band") and gave him a three-track
demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...
, which he circulated amongst A&R representatives. After signing a six-album deal with Superior Quality Recordings (a subsidiary of
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...
), the band released the singles " Bionic/The Law" (charting at no. 99), " Big Isn't Beautiful" (no. 81, released with their first
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
) and " Smoulder" (no. 62) throughout 2000.
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
DJ Steve Lamacq was an early supporter, who broadcast several of the band's gigs on his ''Lamacq Live'' show and invited the band to record live sessions at Maida Vale Studios in 2000 and 2001. After playing
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
gigs supporting label mates The Bluetones, King Adora broke onto the
festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
circuit, appearing at T in the Park and
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...
in the summer of 2000 and joining My Vitriol to support
Mansun Mansun were an English alternative rock band, formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and drummer Andie Rathbone. It was announc ...
on a UK tour in October and November. The band quickly became known for their short, explosive live shows, to the point of receiving complaints after a headlining gig in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
lasted for 19 minutes and later joking that they would have to "give it all up" if they ever played for 25 minutes. The band's growing fanbase crossed over with those of other " eyeliner-friendly" bands Manic Street Preachers, Rachel Stamp,
Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...
and Mansun. King Adora were heavily publicised by
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
and
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
magazines, though they lost support from the latter publication when it was merged with
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
(who took a lukewarm view of the band) in late 2000.


''Vibrate You'' (2001)

After a failed recording session due to alcohol abuse, King Adora were sent to record their debut album at Sawmills Studios in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
with producer John Cornfield in late 2000, away from record company interference. Pictures of the studio's previous clients (
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
,
The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...
, The Verve) on the studio walls provided inspiration during the sessions. The band staged a Christmas party, which was featured in one of the final issues of Melody Maker. King Adora began 2001 with a UK tour in January and February, with support from Easyworld and
Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi Mo-Ho-Bish-O-Pi were a Welsh indie rock group formed in 1996. The trio included Martin Bimrose on guitar, Richard Arnold on drums and Mike Carter on bass. Formed in 1996 when the members were studying fine art at Cardiff University, the band ha ...
. The tour also included an appearance at the
NME Brat Awards The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of ...
, supporting Mansun. The tour culminated with the release of the " Suffocate" single on 19 February, which reached number 39 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. Another UK tour followed in April and May, with the re-released ''
Bionic Bionics or biologically inspired engineering is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The word ''bionic'', coined by Jack E. Steele in August 1 ...
'' single being released mid-tour and peaking at number 30. The placing rankled with Browne, as it prevented a chance of performing on
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
, though the single was the highest-placed of the band's career. The tour also included King Adora's biggest ever headlining show, when the 19 May London date was moved from the
Mean Fiddler The Astoria 2, subsequently known as the LA2 then the Mean Fiddler, was a nightclub at 165 Charing Cross Road in London, England. History The venue was originally a ballroom in the basement of the London Astoria theatre and connected by stair ...
to the Astoria, due to demand for tickets. King Adora's debut album ''
Vibrate You ''Vibrate You'' is the debut studio album by King Adora. It was released on 21 May 2001 on Superior Quality Recordings and reached number 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Produced by John Cornfield at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall, the album received mi ...
'' was released on 21 May 2001 and charted at number 30 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
. Looking back on the album in 2004, Browne said he "would have used different recording techniques, possibly included a couple of different songs and the artwork I absolutely loathed". On 31 May, King Adora were confirmed as support for
Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple line- ...
on their UK tour in June. In July, the band announced they were to give away their first EP, ''Friday Night Explodes'', for free via their official website on 3 August. King Adora played their first shows in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
in mid-August (an experience Browne referred to as "like something out of
Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...
"), appearing at Summer Sonic Festival and headlining a show at Liquid Rooms in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, before returning to the UK to play Reading and Leeds Festivals. In mid-October, the band finished recording a 17-track demo of new songs for Superior Quality Recordings in preparation for their second album, though they later admitted they had had little time to prepare the material. On 31 October, King Adora headlined a ''Lamacq Live'' gig for BBC Radio 1 at the
Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...
in Birmingham, in place of
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
and debuted new songs "Tokyo Honey", "Born to Lose", "The Chase" and "Love So Volatile". A short UK tour took place in December (featuring support from Kinesis, Kid Galahad and the Candys) with the band debuting more new songs, including ''Asleep'' and ''Come''. Rumours circulated amongst the fanbase that King Adora had been dropped by Superior Quality Recordings, but after the tour, the band issued a statement that the rumour was false and that they would be touring to support a new single in February 2002.


Record label struggles (2002–2003)

King Adora continued writing their second album in early 2002, though the proposed single release and tour planned for February failed to happen. The band reported on 11 March that they would begin recording their second album within the next couple of weeks. It was reported in late March that a new single would be released the following month, but the release and tour failed to materialise. The band played their first gig of the year on 11 April at the Jug Of Ale in Birmingham, with new Mercury Records joint-managing director Steve Lillywhite in attendance. Lillywhite spoke to the band after the gig and concluded that the new material wasn't what the label was looking for, though the news went unreported. Further dates followed, supporting
Shed Seven Shed Seven are a alternative rock band, formed in York in 1990. One of the groups which contributed to the Britpop music scene of the 1990s, they continue to write, record and release music over thirty years later. They originally comprised sin ...
at Horsham Park on 14 June (debuting new song "Death by Rock 'n' Roll") and headlining
Lancaster University Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...
on 25 June. It was confirmed publicly in June that King Adora had been dropped by Superior Quality Recordings and that Hall Or Nothing would no longer handle their PR. The band later expressed their relief about finally being dropped after a long period in limbo, but they felt they had been branded with a "damaged goods" tag, which kept interest from new labels low. Browne commented the following year that "new people wanted to come in and sign their own bands, as it doesn't look good if bands on the roster are doing well without them having signed them. They dropped us and everybody else".
Tour manager A tour manager (or concert tour manager) is the person who helps to organize the administration for a schedule of appearances of a musical group (band) or artist at a sequence of venues (a concert tour). In general, road managers handle tour deta ...
George DeRosa later commented that the sales for a band of King Adora's size were good, but it was during a transitional period for the British
music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...
. After working on further demos for their second album and
leaking A leak is a way (usually an opening) for fluid to escape a container or fluid-containing system, such as a tank or a ship's hull, through which the contents of the container can escape or outside matter can enter the container. Leaks are usuall ...
them on their official website, King Adora toured the UK in October and November 2002, debuting new songs "Kamikaze" and "Maniac Love". Despite low attendances at some gigs, Browne commented that "we'd been away for a year with no singles and no press so you've got to expect a degree of that any way. There could have been four people there!". ''
Drowned in Sound ''Drowned in Sound'', sometimes abbreviated to ''DiS'', is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums. History ''D ...
'' announced in November that King Adora had signed to
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
, but the report was quickly discounted as being false. In March 2003, the band signed a two-single deal with MH Records and released their first new material in over eighteen months with the limited edition
double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
single " Born to Lose/Kamikaze", which charted at number 68. They also embarked on a UK tour in May, debuting new songs "Drag", "Depression", "Boy for Rent" and "9" of Pure Malice". "Born to Lose" was later included on the Love Music Hate Racism
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
''Fear of a Black Kennet'', released on 8 December through R*E*P*E*A*T Records.


''Who Do You Love?'' and breakup (2003–2005)

King Adora recorded their second album throughout 2003 at Hijack Studios in
Redditch Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...
with
Dodgy Dodgy is an English rock band formed in Hounslow in 1990. The band rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s. They are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and " Good Enough". Good ...
singer
Nigel Clark Nigel Richard Clark (born 18 September 1966 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England) is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer and bassist of Dodgy. Life and career Clark returned to performing in 2005 as a solo artist. Th ...
. The band set a tentative release date for the album of late October 2003, to be preceded by single releases in June and August, but all the dates were later pushed back. Despite the record label problems, Grimmit said "the album we're going to release eventually is much better than what we would have done if things hadn't have happened". Putting the album out to the highest bidder, the band signed a contract with Discovery Recordings and cancelled their deal with MH Records. The first official single from the album, " Drag/9" of Pure Malice", was finally released on 24 November 2003, reaching 85 in the charts. The single was backed by an 11-date UK tour, featuring support from The Glitterati and corporation:blend. Browne stated during the tour that "we're just more resilient than we thought we were and we've come back out and this tour especially has been really really good". King Adora's second album, '' Who Do You Love?'', was released on 24 March 2004 and failed to chart. Despite the shift in the British guitar scene to
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
and
post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as garage rock revival,J. Stuessy and S. D. Lipscomb, ''Rock and roll: its History and Stylistic Development'' (London: Pearson Prentice Hall, 5th edn., 2006), , p. 451. new wave revival,. and new rock revolution) is ...
since the release of ''Vibrate You'' in 2001, Browne stated that the band could have released their second album "two years ago in the middle of the whole Strokes thing, it would have been a tough time up against 300 American bands, but that's died down slightly. It's a much better time now". Browne described the album as being "not just where we were with ''Vibrate You'', but where we are now. It's basically a natural progression". Looking back years later, Nelson branded the album "depressing", while Grimmit said "the end quality wasn't as good as it could have been, but I think the songs are certainly there". The band undertook a month-long UK tour in May 2004, played one-off dates in July (including their first and only
mainland Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
gig, in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
) and rounded out the year with a pair of gigs in December, where they debuted new songs "Revenge" and "Backstage". A further new song, "Diamond in the Rough", was debuted live at Junktion 7 in Nottingham on 22 January 2005. King Adora's final live performance took place at
Birmingham Academy O2 Academy Birmingham is a music venue located in Birmingham, West Midlands, England. Former venue (until 2009) Live music on the site of the O Academy Birmingham's former Dale End venue dates back to 1964 when the venue was first opened as ...
on 29 May 2005 (on a multi-band bill featuring
New Model Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Th ...
,
Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster (often referred to as Eighties Matchbox, 80s Matchbox, TEMBD, TEMBLD or shortened to just Eighties or 80s) were an English rock band from Brighton, formed in 1999. They released three albums, ''Hörse of t ...
,
Turbonegro Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian rock band, active from 1989 to 1998 and from 2002 to the present. The band combines glam rock, punk rock, and hard rock into a self-described "deathpunk" musical style. History Early years (1 ...
and Future Ex-Wife) and new song "Can't Stay Away" was debuted. Rumours spread of a third album, a live DVD release (a Birmingham Academy 2 performance from 2004 had been filmed professionally) and the band discussed changing their name and reforming. The rumours were put to rest when King Adora announced their breakup in September 2005. Nelson revealed "when we split up, everyone had had enough of each other. We were at our wits' end".


Post-breakup (2005–present)

After the band's demise, Dabrowski was "sad", "gutted" and didn't play drums "for quite a long time after". He went on to become the technical manager at Birmingham Academy and then a sound engineer for touring bands. Grimmit joined Birmingham band
Deluka Deluka are a British indie rock and new wave band. Originally formed in Birmingham in 2004, the band moved to Brooklyn, New York upon being signed by a US label. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Ellie Innocenti, programmer, produce ...
and later moved to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. Browne and Nelson went on to form a new group in early 2006, initially known as Bombshell ACs and later as
The High Society The High Society are a glam rock group from Birmingham, England, formed in 2006 by Matt "Maxi" Browne and Martyn "The Nelsta" Nelson following the breakup of their previous band King Adora. They have one release to date, the self-titled EP ...
. The group briefly toured in October 2007 and its only release was a self-titled EP, released in 2009 on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, with a limited pressing of 100 copies sold at live shows. The EP contained reworked King Adora songs "Revenge" and "Can't Stay Away". The band ceased activities in early 2010 and Browne moved to
Galway, Ireland Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on t ...
in 2011 to run the Rowdy club night with his brother. Nelson resurfaced in 2014, reinventing himself as a
swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing rid ...
guitarist to play with Lola Lamour And Her Blue Light Boys.


Reunion and ''Who Do You Love? – The King Adora Story'' (2010–2012)

In January 2010, King Adora announced that they were to reform for performances at the Hare & Hounds in Birmingham and the Garage in London in April 2010. In the same month, filmmaker Ben Lewis began production of an official King Adora documentary. Lewis had known Martyn Nelson from their time at Dartmouth High School and had followed the band when they first toured
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, where Lewis was living at the time. Browne commented that the band had been asked "about ten times" previously to reform, but in 2010, the time finally felt right. In advance of the reunion gigs, the band took fan requests for the setlists on their Myspace page and consequently the band's performances were the longest of their career, totalling 19 songs, including ''Vibrate You'' in its entirety and a number of ''Vibrate You''-era b-sides. Talk of a permanent reformation was quashed by Browne. In October 2012, Dabrowski posted previously unreleased studio recordings of "Tokyo Honey" and a
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of Nancy Sinatra's " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" on
SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
. The documentary film (titled ''Who Do You Love? – The King Adora Story'') finally saw release on 27 October 2012 and contained interviews with all four band members, manager Mark Chester, tour manager George DeRosa, Steve Lamacq and John Cornfield. The film also opened the Worcestershire Film Festival on 2 October 2012.


Band members

* Matt Browne – lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Martyn Nelson – lead guitar, backing vocals * Robert Grimmit – bass * Dan Dabrowski – drums


Discography


Studio albums

*2001: ''
Vibrate You ''Vibrate You'' is the debut studio album by King Adora. It was released on 21 May 2001 on Superior Quality Recordings and reached number 30 on the UK Albums Chart. Produced by John Cornfield at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall, the album received mi ...
'' (21 May 2001) – UK No. 30 *2004: '' Who Do You Love?'' (29 March 2004) – Did not chart


EPs


Singles


Videos


References


External links


Official site
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:King Adora Musical groups established in 1998 English glam rock groups Musical groups from Birmingham, West Midlands