Artist: Airbourne
Venue: Ritz Manchester
Date:7/12/13
Some bands are in it for the fame, some are in it for the money, others say they are in it for the music. With Airbourne though, here you have a band who are in it to have a good time, scratch that. An amazing time. All the time!
On this cold, wet December night in Manchester the beautiful venue that is the Ritz is jam packed with a buzz in the air and for good reason too. Even if you have never seen them live yourself surely you have heard the legendary tails and anything can happen attitude the band live by. The Australian rockers explode onto the stage and straight from the off, the crowd goes wild. Horns are flung, bodies fly, hair spins and the venue, well the venue sweats. Sweat is literally dripping from the ceiling but the whole place, crowd, staff and band are smiling.
The band may be out promoting latest album ‘Black Dog Barking’ but these guys know what needs to be done to excite a crowd and so they treat us to a greatest hit set that dips into their full back catalogue. The great thing about Airbourne is they are not trying to reinvent the wheel or break new musical ground with their musical outpourings. They are a bunch of beer guzzling guys who love rock n roll and this band is a love letter to the bands they grew up listening. There are no self indulgent jams, no political messages, no lecturing to the crowd. Just unapologetic foot to the floor, booze drenched heavy rock.
Like any good band, Airbourne sound better live than on record, guitarist Roadsy playing solos like a beast and a rhythm section that stomps. There is not one focus point on stage with this band, your eyes flit everywhere as each members oozes charisma. At one point singer/Guitarist Joel O’ Keefe hops onto a security mans shoulders and is taken for a walk around the venue, never dropping one note. Be it riding on the shoulders of security or throwing cans of beer to the crowd or simply just rocking out like their lives depended on it. Airbourne deliver an unforgettable show tonight. The biggest cheer tonight is of course for their fist pumping anthem ‘Running Wild. A wave bodies flow above the crowd towards the security and then it’s done. The band leave the stage and the crowd leave the venue. Both are smiling, both are VERY sweaty and i’m sure both will remember this night for a long time to come.
9/10
