Kitty Vacant

When she was only four years old Kitty was given an old Yamaha keyboard and started to learn to play it by ear.

Developing an interest in classical music she was playing Beethoven and Chopin by the age of 7. Through her mother’s influences of David Bowie and Pearl Jam, she went on to explore rock and metal.

‘I realised that if I wanted to be as cool as Jimi Hendrix then I was playing the wrong instrument. I asked for a guitar for my 8th birthday and I taught myself to play until I started my first band in my last year at Primary school. We were called Obsidian, we sucked. But our 11 year old friends thought we were completely awesome. ‘

Kitty admits she gets bored easily, and when she should have been concentrating on exams she decided to spend time experimenting with as many instruments as possible. She taught herself to play bass, violin, and flute and started to sing.

Throughout secondary school she was in several local bands and wrote music, and at 15 she began working with a producer, writing composing, singing and playing, and started session work.

After featuring on several songs and branching into producing, Kitty also composed the soundtrack for an art film. She went study Fine Art and composed electronic music as a solo project, and only played guitar as a hobby or for occasional song writing.

‘I thought I’d grow up a bit, do the art thing and get bored like everyone is supposed to once you finish your education. Whilst being a student I got to hang out with some really cool people who introduced me to punk. That was it. I was completely hooked!’

Kitty started to go to regular punk gigs, watching original punk bands and cover bands. When she heard the Dolls needed a new guitarist, all of the ideas she had of being an awesome punk rock bitch came flooding back and she decided to put her academic ideas to one side and give the band 100% of her time.

‘I felt so passionately about it, I’ve not been on this journey with the Dolls for long but I’m loving every second of it!’

Anna Key

Anna received her first drum kit at the age of 11 as a gift from her father who always encouraged her to pursue music.

Being a guitarist she naturally started out with guitar but she quickly discovered a passion for drumming, percussion and ‘generally hitting stuff.’

At 14 Anna joined her first band and started gigging at 15. She joined a national music school and met important and influential players and teachers who helped her become a professional musician and encouraged her to leave her native Belgium and head to London.

At 18 Anna attended the prestigious Tech Music School in London to study a degree in music performance which led to playing with many artists across various genres.

One of these connections led to playing for the ITV X-Factor final in Manchester where she made contact with the Paul the manager of the (fledgeling) Sex Pissed Dolls.

‘Having grown up with a background of Rock music like Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, Pink Floyd, The Clash… I jumped at the chance and the rest is history’

Connie Rotter

Connie Rotter has been playing guitar since the she was 12, and was influenced by her father who worked in the music industry with bands and musicians including Deep Purple, The Charlatans and Steve Winwood.

Developing her personal taste in music her interest in the guitar began to grow. Her biggest influences include Slash, Joe Satriani, Aerosmith, Steve Morse and Alteridge

She studied Popular Music Performance at London’s Tech School of music, and since then she has been gigging at venues such as The Borderline, Proud Camden, The 100 Club, XOYO, O2 Islington and many European festivals, playing music styles from blues to pop to punk.

She heard through a mutual friend that the Dolls were looking for a new guitarist.

‘I jumped at the chance and it’s been one hell of a 6 months, I knew of punk and listened to The Ramones and The Dead Kennedys but had never totally embraced it until I started to gig.

Now I love it, the passion of it all is great… I love being A Sex Pissed Doll!’

Jilly Idol

Jilly’s passion for music started at a very young age, and over the years her love for different genres of music has grown.

Her first record she bought as a child was ‘Brass In Pocket’ by The Pretenders. She listened to Madness, The Buzzcocks, The Specials and was a Duran Duran fan for a while,

‘I loved to watch John Taylor on the Bass. I was going to marry him you know’ she laughs.

She moved on to rock and punk and this is her real passion, as comes across in her performance with the Dolls.

‘My regular Saturday night for years was Rock world, and Jilly’s in Manchester – Over the years she experienced live music and supporting pub bands, and all different size venues up to arenas and festivals.

‘Music is in my blood, and has a huge influence on my life!’

Her journey with the Bass guitar only happened 3 years ago. She picked up an old bass guitar that was in her home – it was a right handed Bass, and she was left handed.

‘Being left handed so I didn’t know whether I would be able to play it or not, or whether it would take me longer to progress. But I persevered, and it just felt right. A few months on I had a birthday celebration coming up, my boyfriend was in a band with no bass player so I asked if I could join them. They agreed if I learned two songs I could join them – this was to be my first performance!’

Wherever she went, whatever she Jilly had her guitar with her. For her it’s all about bass!

‘I have been part of the Dolls from the start, which hasn’t been long, but have had so many experiences in such a short space of time. Such a newcomer to playing an instrument, it was quite daunting at first with the others who are good musicians who have been playing for years, but with hundreds of hours of practice, it’s finally come together. It’s been the most overwhelming, exciting and exhilarating rollercoaster ride I’ve ever been on, and believe me I’ve been on a few.

Long may The Sex Pissed Dolls continue. Jilly laughs ‘And I’m not getting off yet!’

Nancy

Nancy comes from a musical background, her father played double bass and electric bass backing many of the stars around the time (including Tom Jones, Lulu, Dusty Springfield and Jerry Lee Lewis.)

Nancy’s relative Pete Kircher who was the drummer in Status Quo and played at Live Aid. Her brother is a professional singer, her great grandmother was a busker and part of her Geordie line of the family were in a travelling Circus.

So music and performance has always been a part of her life.

She begged her mother to let her join a local theatre but unfortunately growing up in a Lancashire mill town money was tight. It never stopped her hunger and Nancy began performing in bands and as a solo artist to learn her trade, earning next to nothing for many years travelling across the UK, eventually becoming a full time professional singer.

Nancy’s father introduced many styles of music to her from an early age including punk, Nancy and her dad would jump around the living room to The Pistols with mum looking on in disgust. She hated the Pistols.

But Nancy’s love for The Sex Pistols, the Clash and local band The Buzzcocks never died and when the idea of putting together a female punk, Ska & rock band together when she was ‘ pissed up in a kitchen at 3am’ she realised she was finally home.

Like many people, life had its twists and turns, struggles and knock-backs.

That stubbornness, or as Nancy puts it ‘not let the fuckers get you down’ attitude is what comes across in Nancy.

We leave the final word to Nancy.

‘I’ve done solo tribute work before but now I feel that I am actually portraying me. And I bloody love it. I was born for this band…’