HEAVY FIRE
Most grunge-era bands have been credited with a role in the demise of hair metal. But few played their part with such panache, razor-sharp humour, wild hedonism and headline-grabbing performances as L7. And they did it all by infiltrating the very heart of the Sunset Strip.
Formed in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarists Donita Sparks and Suzi Gardner in 1985, the band were unlike anything the city had seen before. A bunch of punk rock women playing metal, and coming from a musical standpoint that was more Motörhead than Poison, they quickly became known for their wild, raw live shows, uncompromising attitude and deeply sarcastic sense of fun. Archly disheveled, they looked like they’d been sleeping in their clothes for a week, while any make-up they used was turned into an art statement: lipstick was smeared on to preposterous, Leigh Bowery-style amounts, eyes were ringed with a racoon mask of red. Unexpectedly, the old guard – Guns N’ Roses, Faster Pussycat – lapped it up.
“There were bands that dug us and were waiting for chicks to come out there and hit them over the head with a frying pan, you know?” says Sparks, her voice friendly, no-nonsense and dripping with wit. “I think one of
