Girlschool, Alcatrazz & Raven Rock Tufnell Park’s Dome

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There are some tours which are almost impossible to pass up. When a legendary band announces a tour it’s exciting, but when a team of pioneers get together, then you know you’re in for something special (or an explorers expedition.) So when it was announced that Girlschool and Raven, two bands from the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal who, while not always gaining the recognition they deserve, helped lay the foundations for what metal is today, would be hitting the road with Alcatrazz, a band who achieved much success in the heyday of heavy metal, it was a no brainer. Time then to hop on the coach to London once again to visit The Dome in Tufnell Park, just a couple of stops away from Camden on the Northern Line to witness what promised to be a great night of old school heavy metal music.

As if the triple co-headlining sets weren’t enough, opening the show was Airforce, who formed back in 1987 and is perhaps most notable for featuring former Iron Maiden drummer Doug Sampson behind the kit. What will immediately strike anyone witnessing them though is the absolute vocal powerhouse that is singer Flávio Lino, the former vocalist of doom metal band On The Loose. Lino has the perfect voice for this kind of metal and if one was looking to start a heavy metal band, he would be exactly the kind of vocalist you’d want. Airforce plays a fun, up-tempo brand of music well suited to this tour and it’s of good quality too, leading to a number of fans in attendance singing along, even if they weren’t familiar with them before. Airforce is a real treat for lovers of traditional heavy metal and I’d definitely recommend catching them live.

Following Airforce, we have our first of three headliners. The bands have been taking it in turn with regards to who goes on at what time and in London, it was Geordie power trio Raven who were up first. Raven are one of those bands who, no matter how many times you’ve seen live, always impress. Celebrating their fiftieth anniversary this year, the (original and best) Gallagher brothers along with drummer Mike Heller (also of Fear Factory and Malignancy) perform with an absolutely incredible energy that puts many of their younger musical comrades to shame.

They kicked off with a couple of fan favourites, namely “Hard Ride” and “Hell Patrol,” before proving just how good the more recent material is as “The Power” and “Top Of The Mountain” from 2020’s “Metal City” fit in perfectly with the classics. Of course, they have a much newer album than that, from which they drew the title track, “All Hell’s Breaking Loose” and the sublime, “Surf The Tsunami,” which were also received very well, as were other staples such as “Rock Until You Drop” and “On And On,” before finishing up with “Crash Bang Wallop.” As always, Raven were absolutely brilliant tonight and are essential for the gig list of any heavy metal fan.

Once Raven flew the nest, Alcatrazz were called up. To be clear, this is Alcatrazz with Doogie White on vocals and honestly, it’s easy to see why he’s worked with so many bands throughout his career. The former Rainbow, Tank, Michael Schenker and Praying Mantis singer seems to really elevate a group once he joins and this is no exception, as he’s in fine voice from start to finish, while also being the relatable persona contrasting to some of the rock star posing and swagger of guitarist Joe Stump, though the axeman does have the chops to show off. Honestly, not being a fan of the earlier material, I wasn’t sure what to expect but for those of you who also aren’t keen on it, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that the set focused mostly on the two recent albums, “V” and “Take No Prisoners,” though the flip side of that of course is that if you are a fan of Alcatrazz from back in the day, you’ll no doubt have wanted to hear music from their original run.

Indeed, of the three albums released in the 1980s, it was only “No Parole From Rock ‘n’ Roll” which was revisited, via “Jet To Jet” and “Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live,” as well as some Rainbow covers in the forms of “Wolf To The Moon” and “Too Late For Tears.” The newer material does sound excellent though, especially “Little Viper” which opened the show and the penultimate number, “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even,” while finale, “Bring On The Rawk,” also from the “Take No Prisoners” record sounded great too. For all the negativity and mud slinging surrounding the band, headbangers are advised to do their best to brush it aside and focus on the music, because they seem to have a new lease on life and are putting out some great material right now, as well as a highly enjoyable live show.

Finally it was time for the local ladies (or two of them anyway) to cap off the night. Girlschool really were ground breaking when they hit the scene, giving women a strong and talented voice in a scene dominated by bearded men and even making Jeff Beck eat his words when he heard their rendition of “Race With The Devil,” as lead vocalist Kim McAuliffe reminded the crowd. Forty six years later and just like Raven, they’re as good as ever and the new music proves it, especially “It Is What It Is,” from their latest album, “WTFortyfive?” “Guilty As Sin,” the title track from their previous album, also sounded superb.

Of course, there were plenty of old favourites for fans to enjoy tonight as well, as the quartet opened with “Demolition Boys” from their debut album, as well as “C’mon Let’s Go” and “The Hunter” to name but two of the songs selected from “Hit And Run,” which itself turned forty last year. While long time fans may be disappointed that original bassist Enid Williams is no longer a part of the group, the return of Tracey Lamb was very welcome and along with guitarist Jackie Chambers, who replaced the dearly missed Kelly Johnson in 2000, this lineup feels as good as ever. More classics followed, with “Emergency” being received particularly well, before the night drew to a close with “Are You Ready?” from “WTFortyfive?,” which like the album, featured a guest appearance from Alcatrazz guitarist Joe Stump. This song was great, though it seemed venue staff were rushing them off stage as soon as it finished, as McAuliffe let the audience know, “Apparently we have to go now.” A confusing end, but a barn storming set from one of Britain’s most revolutionary metal bands.