Hard rock, all-girl, punk thrashers, Junkyard Lipstick are a Cape Town based four-piece band with of Tazz-O on guitar and vocals, Lucinda Villain on drums and backing vocals, Jacky Roodt on Bass and Louise "Gore" Gorman on guitar. They have a killer attitude and aren't afraid of the male dominating scene they're in. We were able to catch up with them and hear what's grinding in the yard.
First off, I think we need to ask the most obvious question. A successful all-girl punk thrash hard rock band. That's not something you hear of very often in an obviously male dominant scene. Is it as much of a disadvantage as everyone assumes it to be?
Louise Gorman: People are usually interested in giving us a listen because we're different. The downside is that girl bands are not always taken seriously but we're playing for the love of music, not for the attention.
The majority of the bands making headway in the scene these days are either all-male bands or majority male bands. Was it the decision from the beginning to be an all-girl band or did it just happened?
Luci Villain: Personally I've always loved the idea of an all-female band and I think it's a real rare occurrence in our genre and in our country.
Louise Gorman: Junkyard Lipstick will always be an all-female band. We are proud of this distinguishing element.
You've listed some great artists as your influences. If you could live a day in anyone else's shoes, who would you choose?
Tazz-O: Slash, so I could learn all his guitar skills!
Jacky Roodt: Ellen DeGeneres, so I could stand in front of my mirror and quote Finding Nemo all day.
Louise Gorman: Muhammed Suiçmez from Necrophagist for his skills.
Luci Villain: Dave Lombardo from Slayer, so I could experience his phenomenal drumming skills.
All bands have their groupies and I'm sure you have your fair share of crazy guys (or girls) that turn up at your shows. Do you have any funny or scary stories to share?
Tazz-O: I got a marriage proposal from a drunk guy. I declined, in case you're wondering.
Lucinda Villain: I hide behind my kit, after shows I am usually too busy packing up to notice and too sweaty to be approached.
2012 is turning out to be a year full of great things for Junkyard Lipstick. Earlier this year you scored a slot at one of South Africa's biggest festivals, Splashy Fen. Which band would you say have you been most honoured to share a stage with?
Luci Villain: It was an absolute honour playing Splashy Fen. We've played with so many great bands in the last few months, so it would be difficult to choose just one. We do have a lot of friends in bands that help us out, give us advice and are just generally awesome. I would like to give a shout out to ING (thrash metal band from Cape Town) as we share a jamming room with them and they are always there for us.
You're looking at releasing an album at the end of this year. What can we expect to hear? Can you share a possible release date yet?
Tazz-O: Expect to have your face melted! It will be a mix of all our influences and everything we're passionate about, all rolled into one little package that will go boom when you press play.
Luci Villain: You can expect songs that cover a variety of content. We've written about Daisy de Melke (South Africa's first known serial killer), political frustrations and social issues. We are looking at releasing the album at the end of December or in early January 2013.
Lastly, if we wanted to get all sweaty in the front row at a Junkyard Lipstick show, where could we find you next?
We have a few gigs lined up; Baboon Boogie, The Right to Rock: Metal Rising and of course The Rolling Stone Weekend. You can find all of the details on our Facebook page.
You can see Junkyard Lipstick live at the Mercury and Shack complex at Rolling Stone Weekend between 14 and 16 September in Cape Town. Here's 4 of the other acts, another 4, 4 more and the DJ's that will also be performing at Rolling Stone Weekend.