Girlschool

Girlschool is a British rock band formed in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in the 1970s and is frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after almost 40 years.

Originally formed in 1975 from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early 1980s with three albums of "punk-tinged metal" and a few singles.

During their career, Girlschool traveled the world, playing in many rock and metal festivals and co-headlining with important hard rock and heavy metal bands. They maintain a worldwide cult following and are an inspiration for many female rock musicians. Original members Kim McAuliffe, Denise Dufort, and long-time member Jackie Chambers are still in the band.

Bassist Olivia Airey joined in 2024.

Raven

JOHN GALLAGHER: Lead Vocals, Bass, 12 String Bass

MARK GALLAGHER: Guitar, Vocals

MIKE HELLER: Drums

RAVEN are that rare thing in music, true originals - cut these guys with a razor and they will BLEED true heavy metal - a more intense live band does not exist on this planet! Hailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne in North East England back in 1974 (yes - 46 YEARS ago!!!) the brothers Gallagher cut their teeth playing the pubs & clubs until solidifying their line up in 1980 with drummer Rob Hunter.

The trio went on to release three of the most influential metal albums of the NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) inspiring every band of that era and beyond. Basically, without Raven you just would not have thrash/speed metal.... after all, the band did give Metallica & Anthrax their first tours!

Following a tumultuous move to the USA, deals with Atlantic Records, indentured servitude and commercialism, Rob left the band in 1987 to be replaced by drummer extraordinaire Joe Hasselvander, who had made his name in cult doom band Pentagram, Savoy Brown and his own solo projects, adding a new dimension to the band.

In 2001, guitarist Mark Gallagher was involved in a near fatal accident - but fought his way back from the brink and the band proved they were stronger than ever! This renewed spirit and attitude was reflected in the title of their 2010 album "WALK THROUGH FIRE" and in the career overview DVD "ROCK UNTIL YOU DROP".

2014 found the band opening for Metallica (the band that Raven took on their first tour back in 1983) in Sao Paulo in front of 70,000 fans, and completing their finest album to date - ExtermiNation" which was released to universal acclaim from fans & critics alike in 2015!

After a serious heart attack in May 2017 Joe Hasselvander has had to unfortunately relinquish the drum stool....taking over drum duties is the phenomenal Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy) who has immediately injected high energy into the band!

Following an insane blur of world touring over the last 3 years, the guys released the next RAVEN opus, "Metal City" in September 2020 taking their game to the next level...a scorcher of immense proportions!

In a cynical musical landscape these days, where bands are not "gangs "but faceless corporations, RAVEN are a band that are REAL not FAKE - and proud of it!

Alcatrazz

Alcatrazz is a heavy metal band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by Jimmy Waldo, Gary Shea (both formerly of melodic rock band New England) and Graham Bonnet (formerly of Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group). The initial line-up was completed by the addition of young Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, who had recently left American metal band Steeler, and former Iron Butterfly drummer Jan Uvena, who had just recently departed Alice Cooper's backing band. It was Shea that named the band "Alcatrazz"; the misspelling of the famous prison's name deliberate.

The band's debut album, 'No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll' was released in late 1983 on Rocshire Records, MTV providing significant air time for the video of lead single, 'Island in the Sun'. The album spent 18 weeks on the Billboard charts and peaked at No. 128. A second video released in 1984 for 'Hiroshima Mon Amour' also became popular in Japan where the band were awarded a gold record for their debut album.

Rocshire next released 'Live Sentence' in 1984; a concert recording comprising tracks recorded during two shows at the Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo on 28 January, 1984. This album peaked at No. 133 on the US Billboard charts and a live video was also produced.

During this period, the band experienced increasing internal tensions between Malmsteen and Bonnet; the latter, according to Malmsteen, unhappy with the attention drawn to his guitar playing from fans rather than to Bonnet's vocals. Matters came to a head with the two having an altercation on stage after Bonnet allegedly tampered with Malmsteen's amplifiers during a guitar solo at a show in Oklahoma. The resulting argument ended with Malmsteen assaulting Bonnet during the show, then leaving Alcatrazz to forge ahead with his o

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