Girlschool
are a long-running British all-female heavy metal band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene.
Though enjoying little commercial success beyond the early 1980s, they maintain a worldwide cult following and were inspirational for many succeeding female bands.
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GIRLSCHOOL TICKETS
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Band history
Origins
In 1975,
Enid Williams (bass, vocals) and
Kim McAuliffe (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Tina Gayle (drums), from South London, formed an all girl rock covers band called Painted Lady. After playing the local pub scene and numerous line-up changes (Deirdre Cartright,
Kathy Valentine, later of
the Go-Go's),
Kelly Johnson and
Denise Dufort came on board and in April 1978 they changed their name to Girlschool and hit the road touring venues around France, Ireland and the UK
Career
In December 1978, Girlschool released their first single, "Take It All Away", on the independent label
City Records. This led to interest from
Motörhead's management and a support slot on the
Overkill tour in the spring of 1979. After signing to
Bronze Records later that year, the band released their first album,
Demolition
, in the spring of 1980, alongside the singles "Emergency" and "Race with the Devil". Tours around Europe and as support to both
Uriah Heep and
Black Sabbath followed.
In 1981, the band teamed up with labelmates
Motörhead again, billed as
Headgirl, on the classic single "Please Don’t Touch" (St. Valentines Massacre), which went silver and reached no.5 in the UK. The album
Hit and Run
was released in March, going gold in Canada, and a sellout tour of the UK followed. The band supported
Rush, amongst others, and a Friday night headline slot at the
Reading Festival maintained the band's profile. (BBC Radio 1's The
Friday Rock Show broadcast the Reading set.)
After playing Japan in 1982, Enid left and was replaced by
Ghislaine "Gil" Weston from the bands
The Killjoys and Alternating. Girlschool recorded their third album
Screaming Blue Murder
, hitting the road in the U.S. to play stadiums alongside
Iron Maiden,
Deep Purple,
Scorpions and
Blue Öyster Cult.
In 1983, the band went back into the studio with producers
Noddy Holder and
Jim Lea, of the band
Slade, for their fourth album
Play Dirty
, charting in the U.S.
After Kelly Johnson left to live in L.A. she was replaced by
Cris Bonacci on lead guitar and singer Jackie Bodimead (ex Strategy and Canis Major) on lead vocals for the 1985 album
Running Wild
, released on Mercury Records in the USA but not finding a release in Europe. To this day, Jackie Bodimead is only traditional lead vocalist in the band, although she did contribute keyboards in the live setting, when not on lead vocal duty. A live video from the
Camden Palace, London showcases this line-up.
In 1986, Girlschool signed to GWR records and reunited with original producer Vic Maile for
Nightmare at Maple Cross
, minus Bodimead and now back as a four piece with Kim McAuliffe on vocals. The album included a cover of the song "
I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am)" recorded together with the original artist
Gary Glitter.
The following year, after five years with the band, Gil Weston left to get married - becoming Gil Weston-Jones - and
Tracey Lamb (Rock Goddess) took over on bass for their next album
Take a Bite
.
Kim, Cris, Denise and Enid teamed up with punk singer
Toyah Wilcox under the name
She Devils
for the Women in Music festival in December 1990 and summer 1991 saw Lydie Gallais replacing Denise on drums under the new name Strange Girls for a three track demo, UK dates and festivals in Germany as support to
the Beach Boys.
In 1992, the band released the album
Girlschool
, with Jackie Carrera on bass. Carrera, however, did not wish to tour the US and Tracey Lamb returned to the band. On the departure of Bonacci in 1992 Kelly Johnson rejoined the ranks and the band toured extensively, releasing the CD
Girlschool Live
in March 1995. As well as tracks from the back catalogue new tracks were featured.
Recent events
In 2000, original bassist/vocalist Enid and lead guitarist Jackie Chambers joined and in 2001 they released the
21st Anniversary – Not that Innocent
album, recorded three years earlier with the previous line-up, now with the addition of two new tracks, "Coming your Way" and "Innocent". Since releasing their latest album
Believe
, Girlschool have been playing headline gigs, festivals and with
Alice Cooper,
Twisted Sister and support to
Motörhead on tour in the UK.
The band headlined the first day of the 2007 Rock Of Ages Fest, which took place at The Palace live music venue, in Tamworth, Staffs.
2008 saw the release of new material
Legacy
and a DVD for the 30th anniversary of the so far longest running female rock band in the world.
For six years,
Kelly Johnson battled spinal cancer before her death on July 15, 2007.
Trivia
- The band often dressed in black leather jackets, which largely inspired The Donnas.
Girlschool Lineups
The band's 'classic' lineup was the line-up that lasted 1978-1982. 'Classic' members are mentioned in bold. Unlike many heavy metal bands, Girschool never had a permanent lead vocalist, except for a brief 1985 period, with Jackie Bodimead as vocalist. Vocal duty was shared amongst Enid Williams, Kim McAuliffe, and to a lesser extent, Kelly Johnson.
;1975–1978 (as
Painted Lady
)
- Enid Williams
- bass, vocals
- Deirdre Cartright - lead guitar (1977)
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Val Lloyd - drums (1977)
;1978–1982
- Enid Williams
- bass, vocals
- Kelly Johnson
- lead guitar, vocals
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1982 - 1984
- Gil Weston - bass, vocals
- Kelly Johnson
- lead guitar, vocals
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1984
- Gil Weston - bass, vocals
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1985
- Jackie Bodimead - lead vocals (1984-1985)
- Gil Weston - bass, vocals
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1986 - 1987
- Gil Weston - bass, vocals (1982-1987)
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1987–1988
- Tracey Lamb - bass, vocals
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1990 (as
She Devils
)
- Toyah Willcox - lead vocals
- Enid Williams
- bass, vocals
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1991 (as
Strange Girls
)
- Enid Williams
- bass, vocals
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Lydie Gallais - drums (1991)
- Toyah Wilcox - lead vocals
;1992
- Jackie Carrera- bass (1992)
- Cris Bonacci - lead guitar (1984-1993)
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;1993–1999
- Tracey Lamb - bass, vocals (1988-1989, 1993-2000)
- Kelly Johnson
- lead guitar, vocals (1978-1984, 1993-2000)
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals
- Denise Dufort
- drums
;2000–present - current lineup
- Enid Williams
- bass, vocals (1978-1982, 2000-present)
- Jackie Chambers - lead guitar (2000-present)
- Kim McAuliffe
- rhythm guitar, vocals (1978-present)
- Denise Dufort
- drums (1978-present)
Discography
Studio albums/EPs
- Demolition
(1980) Bronze UK #28
- Hit and Run
(1981) Bronze UK #5
- Wildlife
(EP) (1982)
- Screaming Blue Murder
(1982) Bronze UK #27
- Play Dirty
(1983) Bronze UK #66
- Running Wild
(1985)
- Nightmare at Maple Cross
(1986)
- Take a Bite
(1988)
- Girlschool
(1992)
- 21st Anniversary: Not That Innocent
(2002)
- Believe
(2004)
- Legacy
(2008)
Live albums
- Girlschool Live
(1996)
- King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents in Concert
(1997)
- Race With The Devil Live
(1998)
Compilations
- Cheers You Lot!
(1989)
- The Collection
(1991)
- From the Vaults
(1994)
- Emergency
(1997)
- The Very Best of Girlschool
(2002)
- Wild at Heart
(2006)
- The Singles
(2007)
Other releases
- St. Valentine's Day Massacre
(with Motörhead) EP (1981) Bronze UK #5
- The Second Wave: 25 Years of NWOBHM
(with Oliver/Dawson Saxon and Tygers of Pan Tang) (2003)
Hit singles
- ''Race With The Devil" (1980) UK #49
- Hit And Run
(1981) UK #32
- C'Mon Let's Go
(1981) UK #42
Videography
- ''Girlschool - Live In London (2005)
References