Girlschool, Raven, Alcatrazz

A bill of three heavy metal and hard rock acts at Manchester Academy 3, headlined by Girlschool, with Raven and Alcatrazz also on the bill. Each act has a long history in the genre.

Girlschool is a British heavy metal band formed in London in 1978 and associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Their first album, Demolition, was released in 1980. Guitarist Kim McAuliffe and bassist Enid Williams were among the group's founding members, and in 1981 the band recorded a joint EP with Motörhead, St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

Raven is another British heavy metal band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1974. Alcatrazz is a hard rock group formed in 1983, whose debut album, No Parole from Rock 'n'Roll, came out the same year. Both acts sit within the same heavy metal lineage as Girlschool, with Raven rooted in the British scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

For listeners who follow heavy metal, the bill brings together three acts that have shaped the genre across four decades. Manchester Academy 3 hosts concerts and shows in the city.