LIVE REVIEW: Airbourne @ KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
When bands mirror their long-term heroes, it tends to be on a teetering matter of whether the overall picture becomes exactly the same or brought with a revitalised edge. With the Australian mega-rockers AIRBOURNE set for the evening, the respected Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill venue was ready to grab a much-needed thrill.
With FLORENCE BLACK as the only support, the Welsh triple threat wasted no time in setting the mood in the right direction. As Zulu kicked through alongside the energising duo On The Ropes and Bird On A Chain, their audience can visibly see how much the band have grown over several years. Knowing that the troupe are used to their club night surroundings, performing on this space shown through their musicianship that could have potentially be as lively as the main act. Start Again was a fresh song within their arsenal that the crowd appreciated with their announcement of their upcoming second album. Their crowd pleasers in Smoke, Breadfan and crowd favourite Sun & Moon, the set added a good punch to their groove.
Rating: 7/10
AIRBOURNE are a live band of no compromise. The Aussies earned that reputation while subtly educating other bands on how to give high-octane rock and roll spectacle with a simple approach. Blasting through the Marshall stacks and ultra-bright lights illuminating even the most darkest parts of the venue, shrills of Ready To Rock, the fist-pumpers Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast and Rock ‘n’ Roll For Life showed their unrelenting spirit. The quartet were indeed Back In The Game and with Girls In Black, the crowd were greeted with champion Joel O’Keefe cracking open a beer.
Relying on live vigour as their main stand point, their love for the music beams through their congregation. Alongside their commander, one cannot ignore Ryan O’Keefe‘s drumming that may have caved the metal structure. Their newcomer Brett Tyrrell fired up the supporting riffs while embracing every stage moment. And who can’t forget their long term player Justin Street, sporting a hair-whipping blur, all the while bringing tight backing chords into the mix. The band overall was as tight and fresh as one can expectedly imagine in the live environment.
As the setlist rattled out with newer songs from Boneshaker like the title track and Burnout The Nitro, the room became a little more toasty. Out of the blue, their standout classics Bottom Of The Well and Breakin Outta Hell saw the floor move with new invigoration. Countless drinks were thrown (successfully and not successfully caught) as if it was AIRBOURNE‘s own makeshift mini bar, as demonstrated through It’s All For Rock ‘n’ Roll. The legend Lemmy was rightly deified and was finished with many servings of Jack and Coke to their lively punters as Stand Up For Rock And Roll defiantly demonstrated.
The whirl of the air-raid siren marked the encore with the instantly loved Live it Up giving their audience their final minutes bringing the venue down. The tempo slowed down for their commander to throw beer to Wolverhampton for the last time before the thunderous Runnin Wild, ended the evening with a jumping frenzy!
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Wolverhampton from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:
Like AIRBOURNE on Facebook.