For those not familiar with Girlschool, they are a British rock band originating out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978. Frequently associated with male contemporaries Motörhead, they are the longest running all-female rock band, still active after more than 35 years!

Formed from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early 1980s with three albums of 'punk-tinged metal' and a few singles, but rapidly lost their momentum in the following years thereafter.

Luckily for us fans of the quartet, Cleopatra Records have snuck out of the vault two never before released concert recordings via Deadline Music. Both shows present powerhouse performances by the original, classic Girlschool line-up, featuring guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe, replacement bassist Gil Weston, drummer Denise Dufort, and the lead vocalist/guitarist, the late Kelly Johnson.

Girlschool’s third album Screaming Blue Murder (1982) had taken a toll on original bassist Enid Kelly, the grueling schedule of recordings, promotional work and concerts included. So, in stepped Ghislaine 'Gil' Weston, former bassist of the punk band The Killjoys for the subsequent album promotions and tour - such as this one.

The CD opens up with howling winds, thunder and lightning and even taped screams, before the roaring guitars come into play for 'Screaming Blue Murder.' It's a great way to introduce the live sound of these girls, as it encapsulates Girlschool life just perfectly. Even from the off here, the sound quality is perfection, the vocals of McAuliffe and Kelly Johnson as crystal clear as they ever were back then.

McAuliffe thanks Glasgow for the applause, tells them they might know the next one, and suddenly we're knee deep in 'The Hunter' off their second studio album, and most successful, Hit and Run. After complaining that the audience seems so far away to her, Johnson introduces the pile driver 'Kick It Down,' and then introduces the new girl in the band, Gil Weston, before heading into a new song at the time, 'You Got Me.'

Next up McAuliffe tells everyone that it seems like ages since they were last there in Glasgow, and after adding that it's great to be back amongst them all, the band launch into the frenetic 'Race With The Devil.' New track (at the time) 'When Your Blood Runs Cold' is next, which is followed by Johnson getting the crowd to clap and sing along to 'Nothing To Lose.' Claiming that the next song was a Girlschool version of a ballad, we next get one of their hit singles, 'Hit And Run,' before the British heavy metal band launch into the nuclear war-storytelling of 'Future Flash.'

As this brilliant live album (that at times you cannot even tell is a live recording when the girls are hard at work, it's just that good) comes to a close with both the barnstorming guitar fest of 'Live With Me' and then, finally, 'Take It All Away,' I also want to add that the band spent time in the studio back in 2011 re-recording their classic 1981 album Hit and Run. The new version of the album, subsequently entitled Hit and Run – Revisited, was released later that year to celebrate the original album's 30th anniversary. Buy it, if you can find it, as it is a a corner stone of the band, that era, and just how good they truly were.

Girlschool are still active today and toured in Europe and South America in 2011-12 and returned in Japan in 2013. They are currently recording a new album titled Guilty as Sin with producer Chris Tsangarides, due out later this year.