Who Do You Love? (album)

Who Do You Love? is the second studio album by King Adora. It was released on 29 March 2004 and failed to chart. The album proved to be the band's final release before their breakup in September 2005.

Who Do You Love?
Studio album by
King Adora
Released29 March 2004 (2004-03-29)
Recorded2003 at Hijack Studios (Redditch, England)
GenrePunk rock, hard rock, glam rock
Length36:49
LabelDiscovery Recordings
ProducerKing Adora, Nigel Clark
King Adora chronology
Vibrate You
(2001)		 Who Do You Love?
(2004)
Singles from Who Do You Love?
  1. "Drag/9" Of Pure Malice"
    Released: 25 November 2003

Background

Writing and recording

King Adora began writing their second album while still touring their debut album in 2001. A 17-track demo of new material was recorded in October 2001 at the request of their record label, Superior Quality Recordings.[1] In October, singer Matt Browne commented that "the new album is a progression from the last one. The tunes are there and it rocks a lot harder. It's kind of the album we would have done first, but we don't mind that it's the second one".[2] The band played new songs Tokyo Honey, Born To Lose, Asleep, The Chase, Love So Volatile and Come live on the final gigs of the Vibrate You tour, which wrapped in December 2001.[1] In a statement later that month, the band revealed they were recording a new single (rumoured to be Tokyo Honey) and would be embarking on a tour in February 2002.[1] The tour failed to materialise, but the band announced in mid-March that they would soon begin recording the album.[1] No updates were provided about the sessions, but a further new song, Death By Rock 'N' Roll, was debuted at a gig in Horsham in June.[3] Despite being dropped by Superior Quality Recordings in mid-2002, the band embarked on a UK tour in November,[4] premiering new songs Kamikaze and Maniac Love. More new songs were premiered on a UK tour to promote the Born To Lose/Kamikaze single in May 2003,[5] including Drag, Depression, Boy For Rent and 9" Of Pure Malice.

The band recorded the album Hijack Studios in Redditch with Dodgy singer Nigel Clark throughout 2003.[6] In addition to the material played at their live shows, brand new songs Sweet Abandon and Fear And Loathing were recorded during the sessions. Born To Lose and Kamikaze were re-recorded for the album because the band "weren't exactly happy" with the original single versions.[7] Mellotron made its first appearance on a King Adora album, played by Mark Wallace. Sasha Vallely provided vocals for Love So Volatile, while guitarist Martyn Nelson played piano on Sweet Abandon. Following the completion of the album, the band put the record out to the highest bidder and subsequently signed a deal with Discovery Recordings for its release.[6]

Musical style and influences

The band's style on the album is rooted in their traditional glam rock, punk rock and hard rock sound. Matt Browne stated that Drag was a "kind of a modern day version of what The Kinks did with Lola" and had "a very glammy, T. Rex-style element to it".[8] Browne described 9" Of Pure Malice as "upbeat rock".[7] The singer also stated that the band had intentionally "stripped back" their sound and that the album was "not just where we were with Vibrate You, but where we are now".[8]

Title and themes

The album title Who Do You Love? is taken from the lyrics of the opening track, Drag. Themes present on the album include sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, depression and bulimia. Born To Lose had its title changed from Bulimia because Browne felt the song "was about more than just bulimia, but all types of self control, self obsession and addiction. It also gathered inspiration from Plath's The Bell Jar and that continual female struggle in patriarchal hell".[9]

Legacy

The band look back on the album with mixed opinions. Bassist Robbie Grimmit was positive, saying "the end quality wasn't as good as it could have been, but I think the songs are certainly there".[10] Martyn Nelson felt the album was depressing,[10] while Matt Browne believed that there were some good songs, but said the album "is not recorded well, is not thought out well and sounds like a band that are on their way down".[10] BBC radio DJ Steve Lamacq commented that the sound of Who Do You Love? was not far away from The Darkness, a glam rock band who were successful in 2003 and 2004.[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matt Browne & Martyn Nelson.

No.TitleLength
1."Drag"3:09
2."9" Of Pure Malice"2:18
3."Born To Lose"2:58
4."Kamikaze"2:56
5."Depression"3:25
6."Sweet Abandon"3:11
7."Boy For Rent"2:28
8."Maniac Love"2:41
9."Come"1:56
10."Death By Rock 'N' Roll"2:20
11."Fear And Loathing"3:07
12."Love So Volatile"3:20
13."Asleep"3:06

Personnel

Production

Singles

Tour

Despite playing the bulk of the material from Who Do You Love? live throughout 2001, 2002 and 2003, King Adora's tour to support the album did not begin in earnest until November 2003, when they embarked on a UK tour to support the Drag single.[11] Setlists in the early part of the tour were divided between new songs from Who Do You Love? and the singles released from Vibrate You. Sweet Abandon was debuted at a pre-release gig for the album in London on 23 March 2004 and would be played at most dates through to the end of the tour. The album was supported with a month-long UK tour in April and May 2004.[12] Love So Volatile returned to the setlist in April 2004, having not been played live since December 2001. The band played the only mainland European gig of their career in July, appearing alongside Kaiser Chiefs, Mystery Juice and Goldblade at the Fender Fest in Moscow, Russia.[13] New songs Revenge (later recorded and released by The High Society), Backstage and a cover of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walkin' were added to the set towards the end of the year.

Date City Country Venue
13 November 2003 Lincoln United Kingdom University
18 November 2003 Bristol Fleece & Firkin
19 November 2003 Birmingham Academy 2
20 November 2003 Cardiff Barfly
21 November 2003 Leeds Cockpit
22 November 2003 London Islington Academy 2
24 November 2003 Manchester Roadhouse
25 November 2003 Glasgow King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
26 November 2003 Newcastle upon Tyne University
28 November 2003 York Fibbers
29 November 2003 Northampton Soundhaus
23 March 2004 London Infinity Club
2 April 2004 Newbury Corn Exchange
21 April 2004 Norwich Arts Centre
22 April 2004 Stoke-on-Trent Sugarmill
23 April 2004 High Wycombe White Horse
24 April 2004 Winchester Railway Inn
25 April 2004 Leicester Charlotte
26 April 2004 Oxford Zodiac
28 April 2004 Doncaster Leopard
29 April 2004 Northampton Soundhaus
30 April 2004 York Fibbers
1 May 2004 Sunderland Bar 36
3 May 2004 Edinburgh Venue
4 May 2004 Aberdeen Lemon Tree
5 May 2004 Glasgow King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
7 May 2004 Newcastle upon Tyne Northumbria University
10 May 2004 Liverpool Academy 2
11 May 2004 Cardiff Barfly
12 May 2004 Exeter Cavern
13 May 2004 Bristol Fleece & Firkin
15 May 2004 Coventry Jailhouse
19 May 2004 Nottingham Rock City Basement
20 May 2004 London Underworld
21 May 2004 Birmingham Academy 2
11 June 2004 Cambridge Robinson College
31 July 2004 Moscow Russia Bolotnaya Square[1]
19 October 2004 Birmingham United Kingdom Academy 2
19 December 2004 Birmingham Academy 2
20 December 2004 London Underworld
  • 1^ Fender Fest.

References
  1. "Welcome To King Adora Land". Angelfire.com. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  2. "Radio 1 – One Live Birmingham – King Adora Webchat". BBC. 24 October 2001. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  3. "Shed Seven – Oomazing! – West Sussex County Times". Wscountytimes.co.uk. 21 June 2002. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  4. Booth, Laura (23 September 2002). "King Adora: They're Back! / Music News // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  5. Adams, Sean (17 March 2003). "King Adora: Rock the Bulimic / Music News // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  6. "king adora". Oocities.org. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  7. http://heathenangel.fateback.com/maxiinterview.html. Retrieved 14 June 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. Drew, Clive (30 January 2004). "King Adora (Maxi Browne) Interview / In Depth // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  9. Adams, Sean (17 March 2003). "King Adora: Rock the Bulimic / Music News // Drowned In Sound". Drownedinsound.com. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  10. Lewis, Ben (Director) (27 October 2012). Who Do You Love? The King Adora Story (Documentary). Siwel Productions.
  11. "King Adora: New Single, New Album, New Tour Dates (October 31, 2003) : News". PlugInMusic.com. 31 October 2003. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  12. "King Adora Return (March 14, 2004) : News". PlugInMusic.com. 14 March 2004. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  13. "Fifty Years of Riffs | News | The Moscow Times". 30 July 2004. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
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