Girl Monstar were an all female

Australian rock Rock music in Australia, also known as Oz rock, Australian rock and Aussie rock, is rock music from Australia. The nation has a rich history of rock music and an appreciation of the roots of various rock genres, usually originating in the United ...

band which formed 1988 with the line-up of Damian Child on bass guitar;

Anne McCue Anne McCue is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, music-recording producer, video director, and radio host from Australia, more recently (as of 2007) based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Early life and education McCue grew up in Camp ...

on lead guitar and vocals; Sherry Valier (aka

Sherry Rich Sherry Rich or Sherry Rich-Plant (born Lismore) is an Australian alternative country singer-songwriter, guitarist and music teacher. As Sherry Valier, she formed an all-girl garage rock band, Girl Monstar (1988–93), on lead vocals, harmonica ...

) on vocals and rhythm guitar (ex-Cactus Fever); and Sue World on drums and vocals (ex-The Wet Ones). Both of their singles, "Surfing on a Wave of Love" / "He's Hell" (1989) and " Joe Cool" (1990), topped the Australian Independent charts. They issued one album, '' Monstereo Delicio'', in July 1992 on Timberyard Records. Child was replaced by Janene Abbott but the group disbanded in 1993. Australian musicologist,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...

, described their sound "trash pop style mixed tough guitar riffs with strong harmonies". Valier as Rich, is a

country rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal s ...

artist and has issued solo material as well as performing in bands. McCue is also an

alternative country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

artist, she relocated to Nashville and has released several solo albums.

History

Girl Monstar formed in 1988 in Melbourne with the line-up of Damian Child (Feline Touch) on bass guitar and vocals;

(Vertigo) on lead guitar, slide guitar and vocals; Sherry Valier (aka

)(Obscure Alternatives, Cactus Fever) on lead vocals, harmonica and rhythm guitar; and Ritchie Hine on drums. After a few months Hine left the band to join the newly formed

Screaming Tribesmen The Screaming Tribesmen were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1981 by mainstay Mick Medew on lead vocals and lead guitar. With various line-ups they released three studio albums, ''Bones and Flowers'' (October 1987), '' ...

and was replaced by Sue World (Wet Ones). The group signed with Timberyard Records and in October 1989 issued their debut double-A-sided single, "Surfing on a Wave of Love" / "He's Hell". Both tracks are written by Valier. Early in 1990 Girl Monstar supported the Australian leg of a tour by Danish hard rock group, D. A. D., which was followed by a similar support for United States heavy metal band,

Skid Row A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...

. Later that year they issued a second single, " Joe Cool", which is also written by Valier. Both of their singles, "Surfing on a Wave of Love" / "He's Hell" and "Joe Cool", topped the Australian Independent charts. The single "Joe Cool", was produced by Kevin 'Cavemen' Shirley. The band provided a support show for

The Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

and then

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

. In July 1992 Girl Monstar released their debut album, '' Monstereo Delicio'', which was produced by Paul Kosky (

not drowning, waving Not Drowning, Waving (styled as not drowning, waving) were a musical group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1983 by David Bridie and John Phillips. Their music combined elements of rock and roll, rock, ambient music and world music; their lyrics ...

) and Jedd Starr. After it was recorded but before it was issued Child was replaced on bass guitar by Janene Abbott. The group disbanded in early 1993. Valier has a recording career as a

artist, Sherry Rich, which has included an album recorded with members of

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently dur ...

. She formed the groups, Sherry Rich and the Grievous Angels and Sherry Rich and Courtesy Move. Rich performed as part of The Grapes with

Ash Naylor Ashley John Naylor (born 1970) is an Australian musician, best known for his guitar and vocals in Melbourne-based band Even.Spencer et al, (2007Naylor, Ashleyentry. Retrieved 4 February 2010. In 1987 at the age of 17, Naylor played guitar in ...

on guitar, and from 2004 in The Mudcakes, which included former Girl Monstar bandmate, Sue World and Rich's husband, Rick Plant. Anne McCue is based in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and has a recording career as an

solo artist. In 2010, Girl Monstar were featured in 'Rock Chicks' - an exhibition held at Melbourne's Arts Centre, which highlighted the achievements of women in the Australian music scene.Rock Chicks cement their place in history
10 Sep 2010, The Arts Centre

Members

* Damian Child – bass guitar, vocals (1988–92) * Ritchie Heine – drums (1988) *

– lead guitar, vocals (1988–93) * Sherry Valier – lead vocals, guitar (1988–93) * Sue World – drums, vocals (1988–93) * Paddy Chong – bass guitar (1991) * Janene Abbott – bass guitar (1992–93) Sources:

Discography

Albums

Singles

Other appearances

* " Dead by Christmas" on ''Rockin Bethlehem'' – Timberyard (SAW025) (1989) * "Is that You?" on '' Hard to Believe: Kiss Covers Compilation'' –

Waterfront Records Waterfront Records was an independent record label based in Sydney that released recordings by Australian bands during the 1980s and 1990s. History Waterfront records was started in 1982 by Steven Stavrakis who at the time was an employee of ...

(DAMP121) (1990)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

, "Surfing on a Wave"/"He's Hell" ,

ARIA Award for Best Independent Release The ARIA Music Award for Best Independent Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording ...

, , rowspan="2", , - ,

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

, "Joe Cool" , Best Independent Release ,

References

{{Authority control All-female bands Australian rock music groups Musical groups established in 1988 Musical groups disestablished in 1993 Victoria (Australia) musical groups Australian girl groups Timberyard Records artists