GENE SIMMONS' 'Rock School' Students To Release Single Next Week

THE UPRAW, the all-girl band created in the wake of Gene Simmons' Channel 4 reality show "Rock School", are set to release their first single on Broeknrule Records [sic].

The single, "Make My Way", is released on August 1, available on all major download platforms, including iTunes and Napster. The first of three singles for the band, they also have an album of original material to follow and a tour of the U.K. next month.
When KISS's Gene Simmons headed a documentary to put together a rock band comprising of students from Kirkley High School in Lowestoft, England he unlocked a wealth of musical talent. Following the success of previous Kirkley students THE DARKNESS, auditions for a place in the band was a heated and competitive process. Though the selected five, HOAX UK, landed the prize of supporting JUDAS PRIEST and ANTHRAX in L.A., two members — guitarist Samanie Warren and bassist Linde Rose — broke away to team up again with three other musicians who had been in the running. THE UPRAW was born.

The line up is as follows:

Ellie Chapman (vocals, 15)
Samanie Warren (lead guitar, 16),
Linde Rose (bass guitar, 16)
Lily Vincent (keys, 15)
Loren Pashley (drums, 15)

Though the show demonstrated the head-strong girls were at odds with the Simmons training methods, the band have learned from their mentor and are now the polished article. Musically comprising of R&B-influenced keyboards along with the harder rock 'n' roll instrumentation, their aim is to explore avenues of creativity that are as yet untapped in today's music scene. "Make My Way" is a mercurial mix of driving guitar and melodic keyboards, and has already secured airplay on BBC Radio. And from playing to an audience of predominantly old-age pensioners in the second series of "Rock School", the only way has been up for the band, and fast.

"Make My Way" was produced by Jimmy Clarke and Mike Deal of Broeknrule Records, and showcase the vocal abilities of Ellie Chapman in the mix, recruited to the band after narrowly missing out on a place in HOAX UK.

Guitarist Samanie comments on the band's creation: "We did it because we could — we all love music, the TV crew had gone and there was no-one telling us what to do, so we formed an all-girl band. ROCK!

"We started rehearsing for fun and then one of the guys who had worked on the show kept in touch with us and what we were doing, and he then put us in contact with Mike from Broeknrule Records."

The band have already gained a cult following, and are frequently busy with meeting fans and giving autographs in the expected rock-star vein. Samanie is still getting used to "having to sign people in weird places on their bodies", but insists the whole musical adventure so far has been enjoyable, creative and not a little bit scary. It has been an incredible last few months for the band, who have had to combine rehearsals with recording as well as revision for their GCSEs. October's U.K. tour should be an even greater, though welcome, challenge.

"We're just doing what we do and enjoying the ride at the same time," adds Samanie. "We like what we're doing and we'd all love to be known as one of the U.K.'s greatest bands, like any band would, that's what we want to achieve! But we'll have to see how it goes."