Adorable (band)

Adorable

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1990 in Coventry, England
Defunct	1994
Fate	Disbanded; reunited in 2019
Headquarters	Coventry , England, United Kingdom
Products	Music albums and singles

Adorable was a British alternative rock group that originated in Coventry in 1990. The band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Pete Fijalkowski, guitarist Robert Dillam, bassist Stephen 'Wil' Williams, and drummer Kevin Gritton.

History

The band Adorable came together in September 1990, emerging from the remnants of The Candy Thieves after guitarist Wayne Peters departed and Robert Dillam took his place. Their initial release was a single on Trolley Records during 1990. Their debut live show occurred at Coventry’s Tic Toc club in January 1991.

They initially recorded "Sunshine Smile" for Pat Collier’s Money To Burn label; however, the single was never officially released despite receiving favorable reviews from NME. In 1992, they signed with Creation Records and re-released "Sunshine Smile," which earned NME's Single of the Week accolade and reached the top position on the UK Indie Chart. Following singles "I'll Be Your Saint," "Homeboy," and "Sistine Chapel Ceiling" all secured spots within the Indie Top 5, though their relationship with music journalists began to sour.

Their first album, Against Perfection—initially called Against Creation—came out in March 1993, peaking at number 70 on the UK Albums Chart. The alteration of the album title reflected growing tensions with their record label. Adorable embarked on extensive tours across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan; however, their Australian tour was marred by financial complications when promoters initially failed to pay.

The second album, Fake, featured singles such as "Kangaroo Court" and "Vendetta," which charted on the UK Indie Chart but did not achieve mainstream chart success. Due to internal difficulties and being dropped by Creation Records (then under Sony), the band announced their disbandment during their final European concert in Brussels towards the end of 1994.

In 2008, Cherry Red released a retrospective compilation titled Footnotes, which included candid insights from all band members.

Following the breakup, Robert Dillam joined The Zephyrs and transitioned into a career in computer networking; Stephen Williams became Director of NTU Global at Nottingham Trent University; Pete Fijalkowski created Polak and later collaborated with guitarist Terry Bickers under the name 'Pete Fij / Terry Bickers'; Kevin Gritton pursued a career in education as a headteacher in Derby.

In May 2019, Adorable announced reunion performances across the UK, including shows at Hebden Bridge Trades Club, Bush Hall London, and Scala London, with additional dates added due to high demand.

Discography

Studio albums

• Against Perfection (1993) No. 70 UK
• Fake (1994)

Compilations

• Footnotes: Best of 92–94 (January 2008, Cherry Red)

Singles

• "Sunshine Smile" (20 April 1992) - UK No. 85 / US Billboard Alternative Songs No. 29
• "I'll Be Your Saint" (13 July 1992) - UK No. 90
• "Homeboy" (26 October 1992) - UK No. 121
• "Sistine Chapel Ceiling" (January 1993) - UK No. 97
• "Favourite Fallen Idol" (12 April 1993) - UK No. 103
• "Kangaroo Court" (April 1994) - UK No. 96
• "Vendetta" (September 1994) - UK No. 99

External links

• Robert Dillam's guitar equipment setup from 1993. Guitargeek.com (archived)
• The unofficial Adorable fan site
• Pete Fijalkowski discusses his experience with Adorable at Creation Records (2000)
• Interview featuring Pete Fijalkowski at Dead Flowers (February 2007)
• Conversation with Pete Fij and Robert Dillam at Step On Magazine (June 2015)
• Comprehensive Adorable history including interviews and press excerpts from 1990 to 1994 (May 2019)