On the radar: We Are Harlot
Roll over Van Halen – and dig these hard-rocking dudes
The nexus of We Are Harlot was formed (appropriately given their 'epicentre of the party' sound) on New Year's Eve 2010, when frontman Danny Worsnop (then with Asking Alexandria) met guitarist Jeff George through a mutual acquaintance.
"You know what it's like when you get into the 3,000 drink range: you start crazy talking," laughs Jeff. "You say, 'Yeah, man! We should jam!' Well, we did - and two days later we moved in together!"
It fits that a man who's worshipped Ace Frehley since the age of three and shredded for the likes of Sebastian Bach, would share a musical ideology with Mr Worsnop. But while the friendship might have been easy, the semantics of getting the band up and running were not.
"There were a lot of people who didn't want it to happen," reveals Jeff. "There were a lot of other labels and interests... So this band is testament to the fact that if you believe in something, it'll come to fruition."
Sleaze rock projectiles
Now, after numerous roadblocks, their eponymous debut album has finally hit the shelves - and it's a machine-gunned collection of metal-skewed sleaze rock projectiles. "If you listen to Aerosmith and KISS and Van Halen, they all sounded so different.
"You heard those dudes, their personalities, in those songs," enthuses Jeff. "That was one thing that came out of us. You can't run from your influences and we're definitely not reinventing the wheel, but we're helping move it forward."
Jeff's gear - centred around a modern update of a classic, with ESP's Strat-derived Vintage Plus - demonstrates this attitude. "I have a Jeff George Custom model, soon to be signature model, and a blue Tele-style guitar that I use," he says. "Then 90 per cent of the sounds are my guitars into a Maxon OD808 and a Marshall JCM800, Silver Jubilee, or my [legendary LA amp tech] Jose Arredondo-modded Marshall."
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So, what are the pluses and minuses of playing with your roommate, particularly when he happens to be Danny Worsnop? "Well, there's nothing better than playing the music you love with your friends," confirms Jeff. "The worst thing is that Danny's a hellfire, man. He shaves years off my life, daily! That and his snoring. You think that voice is boisterous, wait until you hear him snoring..."
We really hopes it doesn't come to that.
- For Fans of: Van Halen, Def Leppard, Aerosmith
- Hear: Dirty Little Thing

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