Canada’s The Metal Voice recently interviewed GIRLSCHOOL’s guitarist, vocalist co-founder Kim McAuliffe. In the interview McAullife talks about the bands beginnings, their relationship with Lemmy from Motorhead over the years and the bands new upcoming studio album WTFortyfive.
Girlschool’s new album WTFortyfive? will be released on July 28th via Silver Lining music.
Forty-five years young, British hard rock royalty GIRLSCHOOL comes out swinging with their fourteenth studio album, WTFortyfive?, a deliciously dirty declaration that age is a number that shows how much real raw attitude you have when it really counts.
When asked about the legacy of late guitarist Kelly Johnson
“Well she left the band and then went on with her life for a few years then came back again and rejoined but then sadly got ill. She was everything to the band because obviously we started it off together. We were all in South London and she lived in North London so of course that’s bloody miles away, North London it’s like a different country to us. So she came and lived with me and Mum and Dad and um yeah so we shared a room and of course we were really young at that point at that time. We had the right old laugh and we just sort of did a lot of growing up together really. She was and still is like an iconic image and her playing I still sort of get Shivers up my spine. She just was unique really. She would just pick up an instrument and just play it straight away.”
When asked how Lemmy from Motorhead helped the band in the early days
“People think that just suddenly (Lemmy) saw us and then it all happened all overnight you know well no it wasn’t as simple as that. We were actually touring around as Girlschool especially around Europe in my mum and Dad’s stolen van, poor Mum and Dad. They bought this van that they were going to turn into a camper van and go and touring around well. That sort of went out the window because we ended up commandeering it and just touring all over the place and put it into the ground. So we were touring for a couple of years but the thing is over here especially every time we played a punk Club they thought we were heavy metal we played heavy metal clubs they thought we were punks so we couldn’t win either way you know . But good friends of ours, a band called UK Subs they just recorded a single with a little independent company called ‘City Records and then ‘City Records’ asked us because we were great mates with them, asked us if we wanted to record a single and of course we jumped at it because you know it’s every band’s dream isn’t it you know um to get in the recording studio. So we knocked out ‘Take it all away’ (song) the single got some radio play and then Lemmy and Motorhead were looking for a band to support them on their first major British tour which was the Overkill tour and then he heard the single and then sort of saw pictures of us. Meanwhile we’d have already got given the 10 inch single of theirs a vinyl the Motorhead single and we thought bloody hell you know that’s a great Racket and then of course saw the photo of them thought oh my God look at them sort of thing you know. The next thing we know Lemmy’s invited himself down to one of our rehearsals so we didn’t know what to expect we were going oh God you know after just seeing the photos of him um but yeah of course we just got on like a house on fire. And he invited us onto the tour, cool tour and so that was that and so we were suddenly thrust into the bigger stages and the proper touring and finally we sort of found our niche because again it was like Motorhead were the same they were sort of crossover between the punk and rock.”
When asked about Lemmy’s most endearing qualities
“Oh he was the funniest I mean he was just hilarious he’s have you in stitches. Just really funny and really nice and so supportive and it wasn’t just us he supported as females he went on to support quite a lot of other females in rock. He did his bit for women and rock that’s for sure.”
When asked if she could define the new album in one sentence
“The new album is a slab of heavy metal rock and roll.
Lead single “Are You Ready?” sets the pace; a racy, raunchy, fun-saturated shapeshifter co-written with Alcatrazz’s Joe Stump that shows GIRLSCHOOL’s leathers may still carry the well-baked battle scars of decades past, but their songs and attitude are as fresh, fun, heavy, and catchy as ever before. There’s the addictive mototörcharged scuzz of “It Is What It Is”, the Wandsworth via Sunset Strip sway of “Bump In The Night,” the youthful, punky romp of “Up To No Good,” and the smart, sassy, rock ‘n’ roll hooks of “Believing In You,” with McAuliffe’s vocals sounding as sharp and raucous as ever. And if that isn’t enough, their raunch roars and rolls alongside Biff Byford (Saxon), Phil Campbell (Motörhead), and Duff McKagan (Guns N’ Roses) on a cracking cover of “Born To Raise Hell!” So throw away your inhibitions and join these spectacularly wild women on the most glorious of rock ‘n’ roll rides. Lemmy knew, so should YOU! WTFortyfive? will be released on 12” vinyl, digipak-CD, digital download and streaming and special D2C bundles.
Preorder yours today at THIS LOCATION. Additionally, head over to girlschool.tmstor.es for a chance to win a GIRLSCHOOL WTFortyfive? custom made real leather jacket. T&Cs apply. WTFortyfive?
Tracking Listing:
- It Is What It Is
- Cold Dark Heart
- Bump In The Night
- Barmy Army
- Invisible Killer
- Believing In You
- It’s A Mess
- Into The Night
- Are You Ready? (feat. Joe Stump)
- Up To No Good
- Party
- Born To Raise Hell (feat. Biff Byford, Phil Campbell, Duff McKagan)
GIRLSCHOOL:
Kim McAuliffe – guitar/vocals
Denise Dufort – drums
Jackie Chambers – guitar/backing vocals
Tracey Lamb – bass
