 Girlschool full-on raucous guitar playing, tousled, leather-clad looks (and what one reviewer described as "stiletto in the groin" attitude) soon won the band a cult following, giving them prominence in the emerging new wave of British heavy metal, thanks also to their strong relationship with contemporaries Motörhead.Johnson and McAuliffe drinking bouts were otherwise memorable as much as their fast ascension to headliner band.Johnson was a songwriter, playing lead guitar and singing both lead and backing vocals on the group's first four albums.