Dollface

Formed during the fall of 1992, this British hard-rock outfit brought together Adrian Portas (born Sheffield, Yorkshire, England; vocals and guitar), John Alexander (born Surrey, England; bass), Rob Todd (born Wales; guitar) and Dave Mage (born Buckinghamshire, England; drums). The quartet inked a deal with Kill City Records in 1993 and launched its recorded output via the Methedrine EP before issuing the four-track set Rock Stars. Those songs, among them ‘Dead Boyfriend’ and the tongue-in-cheek title track, drew press interest for the group’s unadorned yet forceful brand of rock. Intimate revelations and sharply drawn portraits carried over to the band’s first full-length release, the widely praised Giant, on which Portas was hailed, somewhat prematurely, as ‘the last great story-teller in rock ‘n’ roll’. Opening dates for Slash’s Snakepit across the UK widened their audience, while Alexander’s flirtations with Polish barmaids during the European leg turned him into a minor fixture in the tabloids. Momentum faltered in 1995 after Kill City Records went under, yet the musicians kept delivering well-received performances on the London club circuit as they hunted for fresh label support. In July 1996 Mage departed and was succeeded by Graham Russell, formerly of the Blue Aeroplanes.