Girlschool, Alcatrazz and Tytan, Underworld, London, February 2023
Written by Dawn Osborne on February 15, 2023
The night started early for me with a lovely chat with the girls (check out the TotalRock you tube channel for the video interview). They were in good spirits, Kim feeling well enough to get back on stage after missing a couple of shows. I always feel super comfortable with Girlschool, genuinely nice people, what you see is what you get and this puts me in a great mood for the show.
Tytan were super high quality professional hard rock, sophisticated harmonies, decent songs, good stage presence. Particularly liked the song ‘Women on The Frontline’. I would describe the intro to that song, however, tantamount to an apology for treating women like shit, as if it’s a status quo or a fact of life, as a bit Neanderthal (if that were not an insult to Neanderthals that were actually the first ‘humans’ to create art and bury their dead and with blue eyes being at least 5 percent Neanderthal myself.) However, the band are getting on a bit and I guess a bit like you have to indulge your gran as she comes from another time and place maybe it’s to be expected. With its connotations of ongoing abuse excused by mere apologies tho’ it does play on my mind a bit and distracts from an otherwise creditable performance.
Alcatrazz were even better live than on record. It was a set that looked to the past with four Rainbow covers and two Michael Schenker songs, but also to a promising future for the band with three tracks from the newest album ‘V’ and the brand new single ‘Don’t Get Mad Get Even’ from the forthcoming album ‘Take No Prisoners’ not yet released.
In the past the band has tended to be overshadowed by its guitar heroes, not surprising with Vai and Malmsteen having been in the band, and maybe neo-classical guitar has been too prominent on some of their earlier material. Singer Doogie White is not one to take that lying down and nor should he showing he has a superb voice and enough charisma to keep things entertaining. Guitarist Joe Stump is a great choice, he has the chops, he has the looks, he has the panache, he can do the guitar hero poises and tricks, but he also has a quiet confidence which means that he has a good aura of mystique, coming across as a man who doesn’t have to try too hard.
As such I am more optimistic about Alcatrazz’s future post Vai and Malmsteen, not less. The show never lost momentum. Never came across as tired. With Doogie’s insistence that the song or performance comes first rather than any individual element or individual means that the band has never looked more cohesive. The future looks bright.
And Girlschool were great! I read another commentator say that it was the best he had seen them live and I agree. The vibe was great. No doubt Kim was pleased to be well enough to play again and shone on this evening of greatest hits with iconic riffs and a few covers of classics that mean something to the band.
They was also visibly happy to have the ranks boosted by the addition of Nicky Kanoussi from The Agony. Kim commented “Isn’t it lovely to see someone having the time of their life” and being in her twenties Nicky certainly was making the most of her opportunity to rock out with the pioneers of female metal, the female version of Motorhead. Niky was glowing, absolutely looked the part with natural stage presence and whilst Jackie Chambers and Tracey Lamb always make it look glamorously effortless and easy, the addition of a third guitar does beef up the sound. But more than that Niky’s exuberance is like a torch of inspiration and rubs off on the other girls as if it makes them realise, yeah we are a band that a young person would give their eye teeth to play with, in other words throws into high profile who the band are and what they represent and have achieved across their long career. The next album will be called ‘WTF 45’ reflecting the band’s forty fifth year.
Once again this is another performance that bodes well for the future. Rock is not dead Mr Simmons. Not while bands like Girlschool are still doing the rounds!!
Dawn Osborne
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Kenny Tubby On February 15, 2023 at 6:58 pm
Girlschool were on fire I’ve been watching this band since 1979 and they just get better every time I see them