Rockshield Festival: Girlschool - Burton-on-Trent 22nd September 2001
Now, I have to confess, first and foremost, that I did actually miss the first three or four songs of the Girlschool set because I was talking to Sean Harris of Diamond Head. Oh, come on, I don't mean that to sound bigheaded or anything. It's not like I'm saying that out of any attempt at one-upmanship, it is just a fact that when Girlschool went on stage, Angelwitch and I were in Diamond Head's dressing room, talking about DVDs, with Sean. Brian Tatler was there too. What can I tell you, friend of the stars, that's me.
Anyway, when we eventually got to the tent to see Girlschool, there was actually not a lot we could see! What is it with people over 6ft tall? Why do they feel the need to stand right at the front? Then there was that bloke (I wish I'd taken a picture of him...) with an absolutely huge head. It was the size of a medicine ball and must have weighed upwards of 50lbs, I should think. Amazingly, he had a friend with an equally colossal noggin! I suppose they could have been related, but, then again, they didn't have any other physical similarities, as siblings do, other than the excessive size of their nutcases and that each was hideously ugly in his own special way.
Anyway, when we eventually got to the tent to see Girlschool, there was actually not a lot we could see! What is it with people over 6ft tall? Why do they feel the need to stand right at the front? Then there was that bloke (I wish I'd taken a picture of him...) with an absolutely huge head. It was the size of a medicine ball and must have weighed upwards of 50lbs, I should think. Amazingly, he had a friend with an equally colossal noggin! I suppose they could have been related, but, then again, they didn't have any other physical similarities, as siblings do, other than the excessive size of their nutcases and that each was hideously ugly in his own special way.
Ah, but GoT, how can you be so cruel? They could have had some weird disease where their head swells up, you know, like encephalitis, or something.
Well, yes, Sparklet, they could have, but I seriously doubt that they had anything amiss with them physically except terminal ugliness, and last time I consulted the medical dictionary being ugly was not a classifiable illness.**Memo to self: Check the CDC website to see if ugliness has been classified as a notifiable disease yet**
But, I digress. From where we were stood, I could see little and, to be honest, I was surprised at the size of the audience that Girlschool pulled, I really was. I had such a bad spot that I only took one picture of each band member, and they are pretty dismal pictures, at that. I did take a lot more but the auto focus, catches the back of the head in front of you and you get something that looks like it was taken by Stevie Wonder. I'll get some good pics when they come to Crewe!
The band was bloody good though. Of the whole day's events, they were the nicest surprise, for my money, which was a pretty good deal, seeing as how I didn't pay to get in, in the first place! Ha! Result!
Well, yes, Sparklet, they could have, but I seriously doubt that they had anything amiss with them physically except terminal ugliness, and last time I consulted the medical dictionary being ugly was not a classifiable illness.**Memo to self: Check the CDC website to see if ugliness has been classified as a notifiable disease yet**
But, I digress. From where we were stood, I could see little and, to be honest, I was surprised at the size of the audience that Girlschool pulled, I really was. I had such a bad spot that I only took one picture of each band member, and they are pretty dismal pictures, at that. I did take a lot more but the auto focus, catches the back of the head in front of you and you get something that looks like it was taken by Stevie Wonder. I'll get some good pics when they come to Crewe!
The band was bloody good though. Of the whole day's events, they were the nicest surprise, for my money, which was a pretty good deal, seeing as how I didn't pay to get in, in the first place! Ha! Result!
The set they played was what you would have expected, for a band that has not played together for quite a number of years, and has no new material to promote - a greatest hits package. Not in any particular order and to the best of my recollection, it went something like this: "Screaming Blue Murder", "Race with the Devil", "C'mon Let's Go", "Never too Late", "Like it Like That", "Hit and Run", "Emergency", "Yeah Right", "Don't Call it Love". And, they rocked. Nothing fancy, just heads-down, no-nonsense, mindless boogie and I thoroughly enjoyed them as much as I did when I saw them twenty years ago! They got a good reaction and they earned it. It was well deserved. Of course, when I saw them back in the golden age of NWOBHM, they had Angelwitch supporting them. This time I had my little Angelwitch in tow.
After their set, we hung around to talk to them and found them to be most charming, down-to-earth, bunch you could ever hope to meet. And, by God, they don't look any older than I remember when I lusted over them as a teenager! They still give a good performance and as they were in the early eighties, they are the anti-Motorhead: just as fast; almost as heavy; but a helluva lot better to look at!
After their set, we hung around to talk to them and found them to be most charming, down-to-earth, bunch you could ever hope to meet. And, by God, they don't look any older than I remember when I lusted over them as a teenager! They still give a good performance and as they were in the early eighties, they are the anti-Motorhead: just as fast; almost as heavy; but a helluva lot better to look at!
So, in summary, let me answer your questions...
Mark L Potts
The God of Thunder
23rd September 2001
- Yes, Denise does still hit the drums bloody hard.
- On the day, Enid was the most gorgeous, but it was basically a toss-up to decide the result.
- Yes, Kim is still cheeky and sexy...
- Jacqui. ...But not by much!
- Emergency. Yeah Right and Race with the Devil.
Mark L Potts
The God of Thunder
23rd September 2001