Girlschool quickly elevated to premier league standing as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal took off around 1981.
That hard rocking, no nonsense, in your face energy and attitude was an instant hit with the masses – including me….!
That premier league status was cemented with the ladies’ performance at the 1981 reading Festival as they headlined the Friday night with bands such as Nightwing and Budgie and above even Steve Hackett.
The evening didn’t get off to the best of starts for them.
The story goes that the pink Cadillac they’d hired had a bit of an incident and a roadie strung Kelly Johnson’s guitar with two D strings by mistake.
However they were not phased and put in rip-snorting nine song cut of their performance has been released as Nothin’ to Lose in Reading 1981 as an archival live recording some forty five years later.
It captures the raw energy which has always been Girlschool’s stock-in-trade. Very powerful stuff.
Their Hit and Run album hadn’t long been released so as you’d expect, songs from that album are featured together with some from the debut album of Demolition.
Even at this early stage of Girlschool’s career, the set list contained some which were already viewed as classics and still are.
The urgent, anthemic C’mon Let’s Go starts off an energetic set which goes on include the crushing Breakdown, Nothin’ to Lose, the glorious Hit ‘n’ Run, another shout-along anthem in Yeah, Right and their fine cover of the old Gun song Race With the Devil.
Here’s Nothin’ to Lose:
Girlschool have always been in their element live. They certainly demonstrate that here. In full control had the enthusiastic festival crowd eating out of their hands. Now it’s captured on this retrospective live album.
Apparently there are further live retrospectives planned for future release. And a new studio album mooted for a 2028 release to mark the band’s fiftieth anniversary.
>> GIRLSCHOOL READING 1981 LIVE ON AMAZON <<
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