Tour of the year, the decade even? As you know here at Sentinel Daily we shun hyperbole in favour of facts whenever possible but… WHAT A LINE UP! CHEERS, YOU LOT!

Girlschool are a British rock band that formed in 1978, prior to the NWoBHM explosion of the late seventies/early eighties, and are frequently associated with contemporaries Motörhead. They are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active after forty years. Formed from a school band called Painted Lady, Girlschool enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the UK in the early eighties with three albums of punk-tinged metal and a few singles, releases that placed them up there with the legends of the NWOBHM.

In subsequent years the band focused on shows and tours and made fewer studio albums. During their career they’ve travelled the world, playing at many rock and metal festivals and co-headlining with or supporting important hard rock and heavy metal bands. They maintain a worldwide cult following and are an inspiration for many female rock musicians. Three original members, guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe, bassist Enid Williams and drummer Denise Dufort— are still in the band, with long time axe wielder Jackie Chambers still with them on guitar. We’ll never see Motörhead again, but we can have their mates!

Joining the girls on their triumphant return following last year’s OZ tour are Venom INC. Formed as Venom in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom’s first two albums— Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982)— are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general. Venom’s second album proved influential enough that its title was used as the name of an extreme metal sub-genre: black metal.

During the eighties, Venom were THE extreme band, releasing more classic albums such as At War With Satan, Possessed and countless classic live albums, such as the Assault live album series and the legendary Eine Kleine Nachtmusik Double LP and the The Seventh Date of Hell: Live At Hammersmith Odeon Video which helped launch Metallica, who were the support band for Venom’s tour.

Following bassist/vocalist Cronos’ departure from the band, Tony Dolan (The Demolition Man) from Atomkraft, stepped in filling Cronos’ big, red boots, most admirably, and recording four releases with Venom: Prime Evil (1989), Tear Your Soul Apart (1990), Temples of Ice (1991) and The Waste Lands (1992). The band, which saw Dolan joining original member Mantas (guitars) and Abaddon (drums, subsequently replaced by Kling), reactivated themselves as Venom Inc. a few years ago and have since enjoyed an unbroken run of recorded and live successes…

…And last but not least – For the first time ever in Australia – Raven!

Raven are that rare thing in music – true originals – cut these guys with a razor and they will bleed true heavy metal!

Hailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne in North East England back in 1974 (yes – forty four years ago!!!) brothers John (bass/vocals) and Mark (guitars) Gallagher cut their teeth playing the pubs and clubs until solidifying their line up in 1980 with drummer Rob ‘Wacko’ Hunter. The trio went on to release three of the most influential metal albums of the NWoBHM on the Neat Records label which in turn inspired every band of that era and beyond. Basically, without Raven you just might not have had thrash/speed metal…. after all, the band did give Metallica & Anthrax their first tours!

A stellar lineup indeed, which you can catch on the following dates in Australian this June:

THUR 27 – THE ZOO – BRISBANE

FRI 28 – THE MANNING – SYDNEY

SAT 29 – CROXTON BANDROOM – MELBOURNE

Now, if we can convince the promoters to add a Canberra date all will be right with the world…