Girlschool

There have always been women in rock bands. Going right back to the early 1960s, the Liverbirds achieved European success. One of the defining groups of the hippy era - Jefferson Airplane - had Grace Slick at the helm. In the 70s there was Suzi Quatro, Fanny and the Runaways, plus Elkie Brooks fronting Vinegar Joe. Unfortunately, the female presence in the scene has regrettably been a minority one over the decades. The grunge revolution of the 90s produced several acts featuring women and by the this time any pervading sexist angle was probably vanishing but the overall female uptake remained low. Things may finally be changing within the modern metal genre. An increasing number of bands are led by a woman and the term "female-fronted" itself is being called into question.

The first British all-female rock band to achieve sustained chart success was Girlschool from London. They recorded their first single in 1978 and secured the support slot on a Motorhead UK tour. Thus began a long association between the bands. Their joint 1981 single - Please Don't Touch, a reworking of an old Johnny Kidd & the Pirates number - reached the heady heights of #5 in the national charts, shifting quarter of a million copies. Seems unbelievable nowadays! I actually owned that record as an 11-year-old and got to know it backwards, thereby sparking a lifelong interest in the band. The first two albums - Demolition and Hit & Run are vital listening for anyone into 80s heavy rock/metal. Produced by the great Vic Maile, who also oversaw Motorhead's commercial peak with Ace of Spades and No Sleep 'til Hammersmith. Hit & Run climbed to #5 in the album charts. The third long-player Screaming Blue Murder just scraped the Top-30 but was solid enough in my opinion. It was the next album - Play Dirty - that saw the wheels come off big style. The production team of Slade mainstays Noddy Holder and Jim Lea looked good on paper. Behind the goofy image, Slade were one of the great 70s rock bands and the Black Country Boys had a fantastic renaissance in the early 80s, taking the hard rock festivals at Donington and Reading by storm. The resulting mix on Play Dirty however was awash with keyboards, big choruses, drum effects and synth sounds. A radical departure from previous efforts. Opening number Going Under and the title track were excellent songs undone by a misguided change in direction. Pressure from the record company or the girls themselves aiming for a slice of the slicker American market? Who knows?

A lengthy spell touring America alongside Iron Maiden and The Scorpions didn't break the band stateside and the upshot was lead guitarist Kelly Johnson quit. A superb player, Johnson's departure was a massive blow and the girls were forced to regroup. Another record company tried to launch the band in the USA but again the venture failed, despite a high-profile stint opening for the reformed Deep Purple across the continent with new guitarist Cris Bonnacci proving more than equal to the task. The girls soldiered on into the 90s and Johnson eventually returned to the fold. She left the band for the final time at the turn of the century and tragically died of spinal cancer in 2007. All these years later, the band are still active and when I saw two Scottish dates announced recently, I decided I had to go along. I opted for the Friday show in Edinburgh and drove to Ferrytoll Park & Ride, taking a bus from there into the city. The venue was Bannerman's - styled on its own website as rock and whisky bar. I had been here a couple of years before to see former Gillan guitarist Bernie Tormé in action. He had played on the first rock album I ever owned - Glory Road - and was enjoying a return to the stage in his mid-60s. Sadly Bernie passed away last year. One thing I did remember about Bannerman's was it sold real ale therefore I headed over fairly early to sample a couple of pre-gig pints.

I was pleased to see Heather Ale from Williams Brothers (Alloa) on one of the cask pumps. I sat in the lounge where a good selection of music was playing through the speakers. I really should drop in again for a beer when I'm passing. The location is central and the prices are fair enough. Bannerman's put on several shows a week and the bar and lounge are open all day. Just the sort of place worth supporting. I could hear support band Evyltyde getting started in the concert room and decided to head through after finishing my pint. I didn't know anything about them but there was a fair crowd already inside. It's often the case that club-sized gigs feature a local warm-up act but judging from Evyltyde accents they were southerners like Girlschool. It was a heavy set but one with melodic vocals from Hannah Delany (I almost said female-fronted lol). Not the sort of band I would go to see in their own right nowadays but enjoyable enough to whet the appetite for the main attraction. As Evyltyde left the stage I noticed Hannah going across to staff the merchandise stall while the other musicians prepared the stage for Girlschool. Ah, working their passage I realised. It was time for a visit to the (incredibly cramped) toilets before picking my spot for the rest of the evening.

Bannerman's hosts the gigs in a stone-lined barrel vault which probably gives the sound engineers a bit of a headache. The tunnel was filling up but I spotted a bit of room just past the halfway point and jostled my way forward. The usual pre-gig excitement began to mount, especially as I would be seeing Girlschool for the first time. It dawned on me that the only way the band could possibly reach the stage would be to walk through the crowd as there were solid walls at the back and sides of the venue. Sure enough, the command came over the PA to step aside and form a channel for the ladies. A few minutes later, figures carrying guitars could be glimpsed scurrying to the front and the show was up and running. Opening with Demolition Boys - the first track on the debut album - the girls kicked loud and hard and I was straight into it. The current line-up is Kim McAuliffe (guitar/vocals) and Denise Dufort (drums), both of whom have been ever present. On bass is Tracy Lamb who initially joined in 1987 and is now in her third spell with Girlschool. She formerly played with Rock Goddess, the only other all-female UK hard rock band to achieve mainstream success back in Girlschool's heyday. Funnily enough, Vic Maile produced them too. Other Girlschool bassists were Enid Williams, who co-founded the band and had two separate stints, and Gil Weston, who filled the role for a few years in the mid-80s. The fourth current member is Jackie Chambers. She replaced Kelly Johnson in 2000 and - two decades down the line - is still the "new girl" in the band. Wisely, the ladies stuck to a set of trusty classics peppered with occasional newer songs. The sound mix was rather muddled but acoustics go out the window (if there was one) in this type of setting and - besides - the electrifying atmosphere ruled on the night.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and the advancing years haven't blunted the group's energy, even if the on-stage banter these days is more cor-blimey-guv than sassy rock-chick patter. Kim now handles all the vocals (although I think Tracy sang one number) whereas the original band shared these duties. There was a mildly comical moment at the end of the main set when the band were unable to depart into the wings in the usual manner to await an encore. They just had to launch straight into an extra couple of numbers. It was a well-attended show. There must have been around 150 people there at £20 a ticket. Enough to make the whole thing viable I guess. The 80s bands are in the situation where many fans from back in the day are now free of child-rearing duties and looking to rock out again and revisit their youth. Being at the peak of your earning powers helps as well. Jackie Chambers was busy signing autographs and posing for endless selfies with fans - another part of modern day interaction with the paying customers. I wonder if a different band member is assigned this duty each night? There was an announcement to say the rest of the band would reappear in a little while to chat with the punters. That's one thing I've never done, hang around after a gig to get a signature or exchange a few words. I've always been 100% fulfilled by the music.