 first time on the show are you ready are you ready it's my first time and I'm definitely ready I'm up for it all right well well we're up to no ready or not here we are yeah exactly oh good news what the f45 is gonna be released July 28th on silver lining music this is the new girl school album it's been I guess quite a few years since the last one well yeah apparently it's been about eight years even though to me it just feels only like a few years ago you know I mean time's going so bloody fast all I can say is I must be having really good time because obviously time flies when you're having fun so I must I must be having a hell of a lot of fun you don't sound convinced our guest Kim first time on the show I mean Jackie was on the show a few years ago but this is your right so welcome yes it is yeah and it is just you should see it it's what the 45 well I don't usually swear but yes it's what the saying it 45 because of course 45 years Kim where did the time go well exactly I don't know I don't know but I mean that's what we're always saying we're going what happened you know so that's why we suddenly thought we keep saying it that's a great album title it made us laugh anyway yeah you know we'll talk about the new album we'll talk about a little bit of history with girl school can you just move your camera so your your face is a little more on the screen and it doesn't sound look like you're okay just as well I got my shades that's all I can say because shades are fine you can leave your shades on it's all good it's all part of the rock store star image it's all good it's fine it's fine natural or so that's right we're not sure so when you started 45 years ago you know you were right there at the beginning with everybody Saxon and everybody else what do you think you'd be doing all these years late decades later not this that's for sure I mean when we first had our success back in the 80s and we were all in our early 20s we used to and that's when our lovely Kelly was still with us of course we used to all say to each other no matter what we're doing when we're in our 40s no matter where we are in the world we all must get together and meet up you know like somewhere like the top of some pools or something and all just have a good old meet-up you know to talk about the old days but of course that's never happened because we've never we're still here it's interesting you mentioned Kelly you know she's so symbolic in the band like especially in the early years right she was I wouldn't say you I would say you her I'm doing I mean her face right her legacy I mean what does her legacy mean in girl school today and for those of you don't know Kelly passed as quite a few years ago you know and but left the band before that all happened but what does her legacy mean in girl school today well she's just so leave and then went to LA for a few years then came back again and rejoined but then sadly then got ill you know so she didn't obviously want to play in more after that so well I mean she was everything to the band because obviously we started it off together you know so and she actually because then 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 she came and lived with me and mum and dad and yeah so we shared a room bedroom and of course we were really young at that point at that time and we had a right old laugh and we just sort of did a lot of growing up together really and yeah and of course she was she was she still is like an iconic image and her playing still when I listen to some tracks I still could sort of get shivers up my spine the way you know she just was unique really yeah she was one of those annoying people as well that just picked up an instrument and just played it straight away that very she hadn't even she don't mean she could just pick up anything and just start playing you know very annoying yeah looking back you know we got the Gallagher brothers and Raven Saxon still touring we see them every time they come I mean what made that era so special that it's carried through all the way like you said 45 years later yeah I've no idea I really haven't because I do get asked a lot about any new bands I'm into that could take the place of when we all peg out basically you know and I just I mean there are a few good bands around but I must admit I really don't get out that much anyway I'm living in the middle of nowhere that's my excuse but yeah there seems to be some perhaps there was something in the water at that point in time who knows but yeah it did there was a lot going on that's for sure back in the late 70s early 80s yeah you know it's interesting they always you know say the Gogo's were like the first band all female band and you know then the runaways but no one really gives the accolades to girl school who was out there really you know playing the bars really and I mean you know even now what's her name from the the Gogo's Valentine what's her first name Kathy Kathy she was even in the band at one point at the early days so I mean you know you see the documentaries on the Gogo's you see them you know the rock and roll hall fame but it should have been girl school who was there at the beginning why an all girls band at the beginning well simple answer to that was we couldn't find any boys that wanted to play with us so we had no choice I mean you know it was that simple my cousin who lived next door and we were both only children so he was like a brother to me he was a couple of years older and he first you know had a guitar so of course I still remember him showing me his guitar and go wow I remember my mum and dad go don't you get any ideas you know and then a year later I got how I had his guitar there we were you know and then of course he started to form a band and I and and then I'd already said to Enid who lived in the same street about less well let's us form a band you know and then of course we were saying to Lee oh come on then come let's all get a band together he's got not likely you know there's no ways they didn't want girls in their band and to be fair I don't blame them that much because we couldn't even play anyway we decided we wanted to be in a band before we could actually play the bloody things you know so but still you know yeah the only the only other way we could actually form a band was to find other like-minded girls and all sort of learn together really so that's what happened all right you guys are trailblazers like Jimmy said you know there was maybe the runaways and then there was you guys and a lot of British bands their success just didn't translate over on this side of the pond whatever you're thinking why would that might have been well I think that first of all you have to tour a hell of a lot over there and it's a big country I mean you get Canada obviously and the states it's a bloody big country and there's so many bits of obviously East Coast and West Coast they're completely different really aren't they and where you are I mean it's all so it's you have to sort of do the lot and you have to put the hours in if you like so yeah I suppose you know but I got I gotta tell you there was a lot of momentum in the early 80s when your first three albums in Canada in the United States and then you know and especially Lemmy who sort of gave you the nod right that stamp of approval I mean you want to just talk about the meeting with Lemmy and sort of that relationship as it grew over the years well fun enough that's the first time we ever came came over was to Canada because we went gold in in Canada with hit-and-run and so the first time we actually toured was in Canada and yeah so that was back in God no 81 or so I'm hopeless about dates and times and years well just say the early days yes in the early days well what happened in the early days yeah if I can still remember them what I can of course was that we we would could people think that Lemmy just suddenly 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 girls school especially around Europe in my mum and dad stolen van poor mum and dad they built this van that they were going to turn into a camper van and go touring around well that went out the window because we ended up commandeering it and just touring all over the place and ground it into the ground but yeah so it was about we were touring for a couple of years but the thing is over here especially every time we played a punk club because I forget this was when punk was around and started we played a punk club they thought we were heavy metal we played heavy metal clubs they thought we were punk so we couldn't win either way you know and but good friends of ours a band called UK subs who are still going but apparently knocking on head this year but they just recorded a single with a little independent company called City Records and 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 to get in the recording studio I must admit it wasn't quite what we were expecting it was some you know dank smelly cellar in the middle of Soho whatever yeah so we knocked out take it all away and just as we were coming up the steps so blinking into the sunlight there was John Peele standing at the top of the stairs and he just sort of happened to start a conversation you know say hello or whatever and what you're doing and and we had a good old chat with him before we knew it he was playing it on his radio show which was huge course over here so and then Lemmy and Motahed 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 had what got given a 10 inch single of theirs a vinyl the Motahed single and put it on and thought blood this is about a few months before fun enough and thought plushie hell you know that's a great racket and then of course saw the photo of them and thought oh my god look at them sort of thing you know cool next thing we know Lemmy's invited himself down to one of our rehearsals so we weren't we did know what to expect you know we were going oh god you know after just seeing the photos of him but yeah of course we just got on like a house or fire and he invited us on to the tour the overkill tour and so that was that and so we were suddenly thrust into you know the bigger stages and the proper touring and finally we sort of found our niche because again it was like Motahed were the same they were sort of crossover between the punk and rock you know so yeah there we were. What was Lemmy's most enduring characteristic or quality in your in your opinion? Oh he was the funniest I mean he was just hilarious and things used to come out with you know he'd have you in stitches and yeah he was he was just really funny and really nice and I'm so supportive and of course after us lot it wasn't just us he supported his females he went on to support quite a lot of other females in rock so you know he did his bit he did his bit for women in rock that's for sure. What was the male to female ratio back then and what's the male to female ratio of your fans today? I'm assuming back then it was all men right young guys yeah yeah mostly very few women in fact when I when I was at school the only girl that I knew that was into rock was funny enough a vicar's daughter and Sarah her name was I still remember and we actually went together to see Black Sabbath at the Hammersmith Odeon and Deep Purple doing their burn sets we covered down Glen Hughes and stuff so yeah so I think you know yeah we were definitely only two girls in my school which had about 2,000 people there 2,000 girls but yeah at the gigs yeah hardly any and now I'm all depends on what sort of countries but of Sweden especially loads of women there loads of girls and loads of female bands have come up from there as well and a lot of them come up to us afterwards and said oh you know you've really inspired us and but I mean that's only really all happened in the past 20 years I can't believe that. That's what I'm getting at because I yeah back in the day there was no women bands there were very few women bands and there were very few fans who followed yeah just metal in general yeah when we first had our success in the early 80s we were expecting all these women to come out you know start up start up doing it and there weren't any they just didn't it didn't didn't happen you know we can't believe it we're thinking oh this is odd and I say it's only just now even just recently even the past 10 years that it's been quite normal now and what about the male sort of attitude towards the women on stage so you have not only a male presence I think men were a lot ruder in general to women trying to the attitude was pretty bad oh yeah yeah it was definitely but we just used to laugh it off you know I still remember that I mean there was all that thing about we'd be on stage they'd go show us your tits and all that business you know we go we go well we would we would say show us yours but we really don't want to see it anyway you know and you know it just get used to that stuff like that but yeah I mean it's definitely a lot better now that's for sure I haven't stopped listening to the album since I got it I mean the guitar work the the the vocals and I hear you know influence like a band like Thunder Mother I can see here where they probably were influenced by girl school is there you mentioned there's a lot of them that came out saying that you were influences or other bands that you think you had a direct influence on well definitely Thunder Mother I know that because Philip has told us and of course she's co-written a song on it as well on the album I don't know if you saw that if you noticed that but yeah bless her we did some songwriting with her on zoom which was really good fun and she's great oh she's off I think she's off on tour again now with the scorpions or just finished or something so yeah she's and then there was Crucified Barbara they came from Sweden again I think they were brilliant and we actually toured with them they supported us in America and Canada the last tour we did over there and what some others oh blimey there's burning witches at the moment I think these are all Scandinavian bands yeah yeah that's right that's right yeah there's not many but but also on the album we should mention there's a cover of Motorhead and and there's you have Biff from Saxon you have Phil Campbell Duff McCagan from Guns and Roses yeah doing a cover of Born to Raise Hell I mean what was it like to work with Duff was it just files being transferred back and forth or have you known him for years or was he a fan yeah no that's what I'm saying that's so weird these days because obviously I keep moaning about all this internet stuff and technology and that but you know it does come in handy sometimes because of course it was all done he was at home you know in LA or something doing it but no what happened was we were just trying to think of a song to finish the album because we were thinking it's possible this could be even our last album I mean if it takes us as long as it did the luck to do this one to do the next one if there would be a next one you know we'd be 70-odd or something so you know it might not happen but yeah well having said that the record company already want another one now for next year but that's another story we're going hey what happened was obviously we've known Phil for donkey's years and he was quite happy to play on this one because of course this was a trap that he actually played on in Motorhead as opposed to playing Eddie's stuff you know I love Eddie so that was great and then of course Biff who we've now known longer than Lemmy because we all started off at the same time we just thought who could sing it and of course there wasn't anybody else to think of really apart from Biff our Biffy boy and so he was on tour in Germany so he did it somewhere you know Germany somewhere and just and then of course a friend of mine he said oh he said just out of his interest he said I know Duff and I know he was a massive friend of Lemmy's and a massive Motorhead and Girl's School fan you know what do you want me to ask him and I said oh don't be stupid you know I said you're having a laugh you know sort of thing and he went no I'll ask him if you want I said well that'd be great you know obviously and sure enough the next day he sent an email back saying sure whatever they need so we could we could believe it yeah and then the funniest thing was then he got back again and he said oh he said um do you mind if I do it in say like a couple of weeks time because I'm touring Australia and New Zealand you know and we went of course we don't mind you know as if we're gonna say no you have to do it right now you know so yeah bless him it was lovely of him to do it you know so yeah hopefully we'll get to meet him one day I will agree with Alan I mean this album it might be you know it when people consider the first three albums as the classic Girl's School albums right this fits right along them as a another classic and I'm not just saying that I think it's a very strong album all the songs are very strong very hooky catchy it's got that punk elements got that metal elements the recording and production are solid uh and the guitar work wow man to get like Alan said man from the rhythm to the solos and I know Joe Stump is in there as well on are you ready and it is what it is is everyone's favorite expression so I think it's a perfect way to begin an album because it is what it is and that's yeah the expression of this decade well I mean that's again that's another saying that we always say well you know especially if you're on the road when something happens like it always does you go oh well it is what it is what we're gonna do about it and I kept thinking that's that we'll make a really good title one day I mean this was I had it in my head for a good couple of years you know it was always and I was singing it around in my head for a couple of years so as soon as we knew that we had to get our backsides into gear and do this album that was one of the first ones that got together you know so yeah yeah well why did it take so long to release this album um well we're pretty we're pretty bad when when we tend to get around to things and um so yeah I mean really we really do need like a kick up the backside when it comes to actually getting things together I mean you know the record company kept saying because we owed them this album and they kept saying no it's really time you you know you recorded a new album for us and we kept going yeah yeah yeah of course of course yeah yeah we'll get around to it then of course the covid thing happened so that knocked everything back for a couple of years the invisible killer the invisible killer yeah tracing about that yeah we refused I said okay we can have one song that's roughly about it we just don't want to know about it apart from that you know um so yeah she had that idea with that that point so anyway um obviously then then we got past that and the record company said look we really want this that we really need you realize it's been eight years of course as I said me going now it hasn't it's only probably been about four or five or so no you know whatever they said no this is it you're going to go in record you know I think it was in October which you can struggle about it's got to be out by for next year for this year so we went and they were serious you know this time they'd got several bloody hell we better do it then you know and so that's that's how we ended up doing it because we got because we had no choice really oh yeah that's the way yeah that's the way we work best you know just doing it we in the same way in in school with your homework yeah yeah exactly it's like you know it's the last minute well especially with me everything's bloody last minute and I keep going I've got I've never learned you know it's taking me all these years to still leave everything to last minute so um but yeah I think it works out well because we we did obviously we were collecting up ideas over the years but you know to be actually told that this is when you're in this is when you've got to have these songs ready then you then you you know you know you have to get ready and you know otherwise that would be it so yeah I think how would how would you describe in one sentence like the the album the sound of the album so like we have so we have a headline how would you describe well the album in one short sentence for those people have not heard it well bloody hell some homer um one sentence that's impossible in one sentence oh all right okay um well it's it's a rock and we're a rock and roll that is let me use the same we're a rock and roll band I mean it's um it's a but this specifically album we're not talking about you as a band this specific I'm an alien I've just landed on earth and I go I pick this album up and I go what is this and you say all right well I'm gonna I'm gonna nick one of Joe Stump's lines then I'm gonna say fierce slab of heavy metal rock and roll there you go there you go there you got it a fierce slab of heavy metal rock and roll okay yeah all right I think that's pretty good did you I mean go ahead Alan sorry no you put you on the spot I think you came up with a good one I nicked half a bit of Joe he's always saying their album's a fierce slab of metal so I've just stuck the rock and roll bit in just toss it in there um what did your what when you're when you're young and you guys start off young what did your mom think like what was my daughter doing like did they take you seriously get the proper job Kim get a proper job you need to get married yeah yeah yeah oh I mean no way um yes well I did have to get a proper job they made me get a proper job because obviously when I left school and I said you know I want to be in a band they said oh well and I said dad I need some money you know to buy a guitar and an amp and everything I would can you lend me the money and he said on one condition he said I'll lend you the money as long as you get a job and pay me back every week you know until you know whatever so obviously to test me to see if I really meant it you know so yeah I had to get a job in a bloody bank for a year I worked in Lloyd's bank lost the road for a year and I paid off my dad I was doing um two residences with painted lady which was obviously before girl school um on Thursday and the Sunday getting up and getting two buses to work and working at the bank and uh yeah then after a year I'd paid him all off and they realized then that we were serious and that's of course when they let us take their van and drive it into the ground yeah but let you take your manner as appropriated by girl school yep sorry did they let you take the manner or is appropriated by girl well yeah well we did nick it a bit yeah but now they were very proud of us in the end and everywhere they could come they'd came you know all our parents did yeah sadly no longer with us but um yeah that was a bit of a family affair in the beginning definitely well your work ethic well your work ethic really paid off even years later right it's just the the the groundwork for what it is today yeah well I hope so with Delton John retiring now the Eagles announced they're retiring what are your plans for touring uh do you what you know are you gonna keep going or um well I've been I've been sort of trying to retire for the past two years really but the others won't let me uh but now it's getting more fun I mean that's the weirdest thing so you know especially I didn't expect it to this album to be so well received well I'm pleased obviously because we love it but um you know now there's more stuff coming in as I say the record come yet want yet another album next year and we're laughing about this we're going oh no what we're going to call it I know we're going to call it FFS 46 another word for sake 46 yeah so we'll see but uh yeah we're supposed to be going to South America in not long now in September with Alcatraz and in the States we're supposed to be a little tour at the end of this year I know we're definitely coming next year because we're already booked in for that Hell's Heroes thing I think down in you know in Texas or somewhere in um I know it's not near you lot but so but we're definitely going to be that way that way over there so that's and then we're already talking about another um European and British tour to actually promote this album so I don't know what's going on I have no idea I just get told what we're doing I go okay you know I just want to ask you Aaron made it in Scorpion's tour in 1982 what are your what are your memories from that tour those that was a big year you know that was yeah what I do remember is of course it was our first time on a nightliner you know one of these buses and we actually had a list of the dates up on the door of the bus and it just went on and on and on and on with oh my god because it was something like three and a half months you know and um so that that I still remember that we were looking at these dates going oh my god but you were real young you know didn't it was just everything was fun you know so um yeah but it was great because of course we knew I made a little bit anyway because we were all in that sort of you know that that lot that of us with Samson you know and all that business I made and Saxon Def Leppard even and um so yeah and I still remember because they and they'd already been on tour for about this is what I'm saying about Troy they literally I mean Steve knew what he wanted and he went and did it you know he just knew that was what he wanted he knew he was going to have to get out there and not stop and that's what they did they literally toured for like years I'd say on end you know but um yeah and of course they all came up just I went oh we're pretty lucky London accents because of course they're Londoners as well you know so uh that was that was great that was great fun yeah just really great yeah we've been up to no good with Kim McCullough a girl school fan of here on The Metal Voice and we want to thank you for your time all the success on this new album which is fantastic and it made me go back and say hey what did I miss the first go around and check out your your previous albums in the 80s oh oh cheers oh thanks so much thanks so much for having me and uh yeah hopefully we'll come around your neck of the woods well I've got to say Montreal uh we hopefully definitely will because of course Denise Dufour her um dad came from Montreal so yeah yeah there you go Dufour is very nice I mean actually I think the last time you played here was at Heavy Montreal yes with Motorhead and Kiss yeah yeah yeah that was the last time so it's been a long time so we've got a call of Giles hey Giles yes I think you should yeah get us out there all right thank you so much for being on the show and good luck with the new album and thank you for your time oh thank you so much you too all right thanks again bye all the best