GIRLSCHOOL FINAL 45 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR with ALCATRAZZ, LILLIAN AXE and EARLY MOOD at SINWAVE

Talk about a historical show, this was one for the ages, as GIRLSCHOOL formed back in 1978, made their final stop in Vegas along with special guests 80's rockers ALCATRAZZ and LILLIAN AXE, and something a little new with Vegas' EARLY MOODS, who I am sure were not even born when these other bands started out. As expected with bands this old there were lots of walkers and wheelchairs in the crowd lol, which once again show rock n roll is timeless, and it’s actually great to see so many fans supporting these fave legendary rock bands after all the decades.

Heavy metal doom band EARLY MOODS opened the show, who pay homage to bands like Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Pentagram - real old school doom with NWOBHM vibe. I personally LOVE this band and look forward to seeing them when they pass through Vegas. The band is from LA, and have new music this year you can listen to HERE, and more on the band and tour dates HERE.

Next up was LILLIAN AXE, and even though I am from that era, I never really heard them back in the day or seen them live. Listening to Lillian Axe is like taking a time machine back to the rock n roll glory days of the 80's when bands like this ruled the airwaves, watching MTV hair videos when they actually played music.

With undeniable vocals and guitar sound, Lillian Axe really sounded great and put on a great set, a highlight “True Believer”. The crowd really loved this band, and thought they did an excellent job. The band put out new records in 2022, and have recently signed to BraveWords Records, and are working on a new album. More on Lillian Axe HERE.

ALCATRAZZ features guitar wizard Joe Stump, a virtuoso, another in a line of great musicians who have played for this band. Alcatrazz has featured such names as Yngwie Malmsteen, former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet, Steve Vai and Doogie White - just to name a few, and the band was a rock n roll pipeline for some great musicians still touring today.

Alcatrazz' set included both old and newer material, and present lead singer Giles Lavery has only been in the band this year, but sounded perfect and did a fantastic job. Another timeless and classic 80’s rock band, Alcatrazz was a fun band to see live in concert, and they have a recent album out, Take No Prisoners, out on SIlver Lining Records from 2023. More on Alcatrazz HERE.

Now it was time for the final appearance of the legendary all female band GIRLSCHOOL. Girlschool has the distinction of being the longest running all female rock band, and have been around for 45 (plus, now) years, and were part of the new wave of British heavy metal. Two members of the band have been there since the beginning, vocalist Kim McAuliffe and drummer Denise Dufort. Lead guitarist Jackie Chambers has been with the band since 2000, and the baby of the band Olivia Airey has only been with the band just a few months for the tour. The girls played in support of such acts as Black Sabbath, Rush, Iron Maiden, Scorpions - to this day the band retains a punk / rock n roll sound.

One of the highlights was when the band paid homage to Motorhead by playing “BOMBER”, and on the band's final song they were joined by Larry Patterson from Alcatrazz on drums for “EMERGENCY”. You would think that would be enough, but during the encore, they were joined by Joe Stump on guitar (who also co-wrote the song) “ARE YOU READY”, from their final 2023 album WTFortyFive?

This was a show I am glad I got to cover! Bands from a memorable era together touring like it was 1980’s all over again, straight forward songs and nearly 50 year history, another great Pulsar Presents show at SINWAVE. Check out the 2023 GirlSchool record and special releases HERE.