King Adora

After a year away, King Adora (or that band from Hollyoaks) are back with more energy and attitude than before. So, what have they been up to and what exactly does Robbie G know about ‘marriage and children’?

What’s been happening the last year or so as it all went a bit quiet?
Matt: Well all that happened was Mercury got taken over, and when Mercury got taken over, 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, so then you’re damaged goods for a while so we went and demoed the album then something fell through here, something fell through there, we all went a little bit mad so then we sacked everybody and started again. We got an independent deal for a couple of singles and licensed the album out to the highest bidder. It’s taken a while but the loyal fan base has stayed there. We didn’t want to make them wait so long which is why we put out the limited edition single just as a filler before the first proper single which should be out at the start of July. We didn’t want them to wait that long. The album’s in place too but we’re just waiting to see if the first proper single does well too and then we wait for more bids to come.
So the album’s finished then?
M: There are a few songs we have yet to record but that’ll be done as soon as we come off the tour, as we’ve written a lot of new stuff. The album a year ago kind of changed, so only half of those songs will make it through to this one. Robbie: It’s an advantage for us to have had 8 or 9 months out as we’ve now got better songs as we’ve had more time on them.
M: All happens for a reason.
R: The album we’re gonna release eventually is much better than what we would have done if things hadn’t have happened.
The November tour in places didn’t sell as well as previous ones. Were you worried?
M: Not at all, London was sold out, Oxford was sold out. 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. Could have been 4 people there!
R: It’s still exciting for us no matter who’s there.
M: There’s certainly more people going to be there than if the likes of Terris came back. We’re not worried. The difference is now that we’ve got people back in place so we’re getting press which we didn’t have in November.
R: Things will just move up again, can’t keep a good thing down.
M: Hopefully come July we’ll try and get a support slot on a bigger tour like we did with Mansun when we first started but this time with some of the fan base there. We have to rebuild. You need resilience. I mean, we could always quit but it’d make everything we’d done in the first place worthless.
Was there any point where you thought of calling it a day?
M: No, coz everything we started out to do, the last two years, there’d be no point. It just takes time , it’s hard to do without the support and structure but that’s back on board now. We’ve not worried.
Are you apprehensive as this is the first night of the tour?
M: Well it’s being thrown in at the deep end somewhat doing Manchester on the first night, better to start somewhere like Norwich in case something goes wrong! We’re fired up. I mean, we’re only doing the four singles in the set, all the rest is new stuff.
R: Some of the new stuff we’ve been playing for a while now but I think it’s quite immediate any way, some people will just get it.
M: And we can’t keep playing the old stuff forever. Got to move on at some point. That had its place at the time but this is where we’re at now. There’s only four new songs since the November tour.
Do you think you’ve calmed down since your early days? M: Calmed down?!? You’re joking, we’re worse! Getting worse and worse, I mean, for a year we didn’t do anything! All starts tonight.
The album, any release date?
M: End of September, the very last week, I think that’s pretty definite. We’ve done a lot of the production on it. We wanted to make it sound more like we do live, the last one was a bit over produced.
R: I think it’s coz we know it so well ourselves and know how we want it to sound that it’s best that we do it. Seems to work.
What’s been influencing the album as the last time we spoke, Robbie said ‘marriage and children’?
M: (To Robbie) What the fucking hell do you know about marriage and children?!?
R: Divorce and abortion, law courts and child support!
M: It’s a lot more personal album, just what we’ve been through the last few years but we’ve listened to a lot more stuff, it’s more diverse. A lot more guitary and stuff. Nelsta’s been great - got him to do some work!
So what have you been listening to?
M: The Darkness, the new White Stripes album.
M: That’s good.
You’d mention The Star Spangles a lot on your online journal.
M: I just liked the singles. We went to see them live and the singles were good but the rest was, ‘hmm...’, they’re a little bit Loony Tunes as well. The singer scares me, he tried to kiss me, but that’s another story. It wasn’t scary but I wasn’t into him, I like an English boy!
R: Is that what it was?
M: But I think it shows what happens when you take 50 pills a week...
And it shows on his face...
M: Yes! This is turning into a little bit News Of The World!
Well while we’re on the subject then, any romps with page 3 girls?
M: I had a page 5 girl once!
Do you think you’re a better band now than when you started?
M: Absolutely, we can’t go backwards. I think once people get to grips with the new stuff, it’s as good as the old stuff. I think the single that’s out in July will do really well with the fans and everybody else.
R: Certainly, musically as a unit, we’re much better.
M: We haven’t moved that far away from what we did on the first album.
R: It's just a natural progression really.
M: We just play it better, whether or not we're tighter live, you’ll have to see! Robbie’s got a poorly ear though so he can only hear out of one side of his head. Had a little accident.
R: What’s that? Oh the ear, I've got an infection!
If you could go back and change anything you did when you were starting out, would you?
M: I guess there are a few people we probably would have fired sooner.
R: I think if we’d changed anything we might not have ended up here so it’s all relative. The path we’ve taken has been all right, there have been hard times but there have been fantastic times too.
M: We could have done a second album 2 years ago in the middle of the whole strokes thing, it would have been a touch time up against 300 American bands but that’s kinda died down slightly. It’s a much better time now.
R: It’s still around but it’s not every other band now. There’s other stuff coming through. as far as NME are concern any how...
You and NME haven’t had the best relationship, do you think that’s changed now?
M: There’s a couple of people at NME who are fans but it doesn’t matter coz we’ve got people at Bang magazine and Kerrang!, all the new ones. Kerrang! weren't on side last time. Rock Sound is on side, The Fly is on side. It’s not really a problem.
R: You’re always gonna have that any way, I think it’s important to be in with the fanzines though. NME are only bothered if you go top 20 then they’re banging on the door for an interview. Use it when you can.
The Mansun split, what’s your reaction?
M: It’s very sad but I guessed it might happen when I saw them on that tour last year.
R: They’ve had a good innings.
M: I think they kinda knew it as well. I was talking to them afterwards and they were asking the sound engineer how it went, marks out of 10 and that stuff. If they’re doing that it shows they haven’t got any confidence in themselves. They always were having to battle against shit any way, a bit like us, but they did it for a good few years longer, 9 years or something.
R: Certainly as a band, we always looked up to them.
Hollyoaks have taken to playing ‘Suffocate’ every time someone dies. Are you a bit worried?
R: Seems to be an anthem for death!
M: I think it was a bit more carefully used lyrically than that. Well the death one was, I didn’t see the murder episode.
Well they were playing it over the girl being murdered.
M: Were they playing it over that?!? They played it while the murder was going on???
R: Compared to most story lines any way, at least it’s a bit more realistic. A song to go with realistic story lines!
Ever fancied trying to get a cameo and doing it live?
M: I think we should.
R: Kill off the whole of Hollyoaks while we play? Wouldn’t be a bad idea.
M: King Adora kill them off and the murderer’s really Nelsta? And the wrong guy went down? We should be writing scripts!
R: The next album - tunes from Hollyoaks!
M: Nelsta can play the theme tune.
R: Might slip it in tonight!
M: The tour posters - ‘playing tonight, King Adora - that band from Hollyoaks!’
So lock up your daughters, if all’s to be believed, with the second album completed, King Adora are due for a comeback and if not, well, there’s always the Channel 4 teen soap option. Just try not to get caught in a dark alley with them at night. You have been warned...
For more info check out www.kingadora.com
May 2003

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