British metal pioneers Girlschool deliver rocking chaos in Pittsburgh show
In 46 years of playing music with Girlschool, singer/rhythm guitarist Kim McAuliffe has probably seen it all.
So a guitar breaking mid-song Thursday night didn’t faze her, as she handed off the guitar, leaned on the shoulder of bassist Tracey Lamb and wondered what to do with her suddenly idle hands.
“Normally, it’s a string,” McAuliffe said. “This time the bloody knob fell off!”
The pioneering all-female group Girlschool, which played at Mr. Smalls Funhouse in Millvale on their final North American Tour, delivered a night of solid rock ‘n’ roll.
Whether it was opening with “Demolition Boys” or closing with “Emergency” — both off their 1980 debut, “Demolition” — Girlschool’s energetic, and a little bit chaotic, romp through their catalog proved pleasing alongside their cover of Motörhead’s “Bomber.”
A foray into newer songs like “It Is What It Is” and “Up to No Good” didn’t seem out of place either.
Joined by original drummer Denise Dufort and “new” guitarist Jackie Chambers — she’s only been in the band since 2000 — Girlschool went out strong in their first show in Pittsburgh since 1984.
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Lillian Axe, a hard rock band formed in 1983 in New Orleans, played for nearly an hour, with original guitarist Steve Blaze and singer Brent Graham leading the way. They played several songs off their “Psychoschizophrenia” album, closing with their biggest hit, “Show A Little Love.”
Alcatrazz, a Los Angeles-based band that also started in 1983, opened the show with new singer Giles Lavery, who just joined last month. With original member Jimmy Waldo on keyboards, the band that once featured Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai tackled their best-known songs like “Island in the Sun” and “Hiroshima Mon Amour.” For “Sword of Deliverance,” Lavery sang as he brandished a sword.
Mike Palm is a TribLive digital producer who also writes music reviews and features. A Westmoreland County native, he joined the Trib in 2001, where he spent years on the sports copy desk, including serving as night sports editor. He has been with the multimedia staff since 2013. He can be reached at mpalm@triblive.com.
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