Girlschool were Britain’s thrash metal paradox to the Runaways’ nasty yet melodic bad girl anthems. England in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was awash with so- called punk and new wave groups following in the shadow of the Sex Pistols, but the landscape was also ripe for more convential hard rock bands. The British New Wave of Heavy Metal peaked just as hardcore punk gave way to poppy new wave. Schoolmates Kim McAuliffe and Enid Williams formed a band called Painted Lady in London in 1977, and honed their chops playing at parties. It wasn’t long before drummer Denise Dufort and guitarist/vocalist Kelly Johnson joined in, and Girlschool hit the UK tour circuit in a big way, opening for such ballsy metal bands as Budgie. Along the way, they impressed Motorhead’s manager, Doug Smith with their first single Take It All Away, and he signed them to a management deal
With no previous British all-female band to copy, Girlschool forged their distinctive brand of metal. A sound and image that didn’t depend on sexy clothes or advertising their femininity in big bold letters. Signed almost immediately to Bronze Records (home of, Motorhead and Uriah Heep). The band proved they were guardians of brutal riffs and in your face lyrics; unlike a handful of other female rock bands at the time, their gender wasn’t that big of a detriment (or an advantage). It just didn’t matter, they could rock with the hardest of ‘em.
Demolition and Hit & Run, the band’s first two releases, scored big numbers in the UK but were not released in America. The latter contained a cover version of The Sweet’s Fox On The Run, and demonstrated the group’s knack for guitar riffage ala Ironmaiden and Motorhead. Publicity for the band peaked in 1981, when they recorded an EP St Valentines Day Massacre with Motorhead. The cover shot alone, featuring Lemmy and his mates as gangsters and the girls as gun molls, is priceless. Girlschool covers Motorhead’s Bomber, and Lemmy and company lend their inimitable touch to Girlschool’s Emergency. The bands also perform together on a cheeky version of Please Don’t Touch, a hit for Johnny Kid & The Pirates in pre-Beatle England.
Johnson left the band in 1983, and Girlschool continued to tour and record with different line-ups throughout the ‘80s. Running out of steam in 1988, the group called it quits. McAuliffe turned to TV for awhile appearing in a show called Raw Power with perennial UK punker Toyah Wilcox.
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