LIVE REVIEW: Airbourne and Devilskin rip it up in full-on party mode

YOU pretty much know what to expect when Airbourne play - a raucous beer-fuelled party with riffs a plenty and massive choruses and fists pumping the air throughout the venue. It's their schtick, but even the hardened touring band can be challenged.

Openers Devilskin travelled all the way from Hamilton, New Zealand for this Limelight1 show on Wednesday, 7th June. There was no sign of jet lag when they took to the stage - and a palpable buzz of excitement.

We all know the score for support bands, with the majority of the audience awaiting the headliners supping the adjacent bar. Definitely not the case for Devilskin.

Combining a hard rocking edge with meticulous metal this was a rock Haka - in your face, a challenge delivered with passion and panache. Jennie may be the focus, her voice and confidence, hitting like a lemon wrapped around a brick.

However, it is the entire band that fizzlers with energy, a unit that draws attention. Tony (Nail) has a guitar growls with menace, while the father/son rhythm section of Paul and Nic lay down a monstrous powerhouse demonstration of metal.

They promise to return soon - they will be afforded a warm welcome.

For Devilskin this was a warm-up for Download, as it was for Airbourne. An opportunity to play in Belfast (and Dublin) to knock the set into shape. Not that Airbourne need much of their set and playing shaping up. They are now almost veterans.

Having been faithful to Belfast since their earliest tours in Europe the four-piece are familiar to the audience. Also, having been here so many times the songs - even the newer ones such as the title track of 'Breakin' Outta Hell', 'Rivalry' and album closer 'It's All for Rock n Roll'.

Of course Joel is a bundle of energy as always, on and off-stage tomfoolery with walkabouts, idiocy with cans etc etc. All very entertaining whether you have seen it before or not. Airbourne understand that live it is a stage show as well as guitar laden rifftastic fun.

All would be for nowt if the music wasn't strong enough. Crowd pleasers such as 'Too Much...', 'No Way But The Hard Way', 'Cheap Wine' and 'Girls In Black' raise the roof, but the encore packs a solid one-two punch in the shape of 'Live It Up' and 'Runnin' Wild'.

A tight, compact set is slightly shorter than some previous shows by the Aussie rockers with a total of 12 songs aired, this was clearly the set they anticipate forming the largest part of their Download show.

It was also the Belfast début of Harri Harrison, after David Rhoads left the band to work in the family business. Harrison looks comfortable on rhythm guitar and moves forward to the mics with Justin in synchronicity for the choruses.

This was, as always an accomplished performance from Airbourne, pleasing the beer-fuelled audience, but it was also a night to experience the latest Antipodean challenge. Did Devilskin blow Airbourne off the stage? Not quite, but damn close.

Review by Jonathan Traynor
Pictures by Darren McVeigh

LIVE REVIEW: Breakin' Out The Rock - Airbourne, The Treatment, Trucker Diablo, Belfast 24th August - Limelight1

THERE is such a thing in rock ‘n’ roll as repetitiveness – a trap that many bands fall into. But it takes a certain talent to throw aside the temptation to churn out the same old stuff and deliver a stunning set.

Airbourne have that talent.

When they landed in Belfast’s Limelight - the third last show in a lengthy run supporting the Breakin Outta Hell tour – they still had the energy and the joy of being on stage that few can match.

Indeed that same ability is inherent in local heroes, Trucker Diablo, a band that also know that being just one of the herd is not an option.

With a bagful of great songs they open the show with intent and intensity. Whether it is the party anthem ‘Drink Beer, Destroy’ (with added ‘Tallica) or the melodic power of ‘Drive’ the Big Truck always rolls over doubters.

The crowd were also treated to a new song ‘Fight…’, but the evidence of the band’s drawing power that more people than usual for an opening act.

The Treatment are regular visitors to Belfast, and Mitchell Emms presence (and looks) to make sure that a fair proportion of those down the front were of the gentler gender...

The Cambridge based band provides relatively inoffensive hard rock, and attempt to preserve the energy Trucker had delivered to the Limelight. While there is a lot of  oomph at times the audience’s attention wavers.

Airbourne have been playing dates in Belfast from their earliest of their European tours, they earnestly try to include the city in all their campaigns. So established are they in terms of Northern Ireland’s favour that once again they sell-out Limelight1.

And, they reward the packed audience with a show that belies the fact that they are on the 25^th date of a run that has taken them around Europe as headliners and at festivals.

However, when the rip into ‘Ready To Rock’ it as if they are on the first date. The cliché of ‘bundle of energy’ could have been made for Joel, as he races around the stage, fingers flying over frets, beer cans bashing off his head and tossed into the audience.

The band collectively provides excellence, poised, without ever seeming to be playing just another set. Whether it is new single ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell’ from the forthcoming album, or closer ‘Runnin’ Wild’ Airbourne are professional and entertaining.

It was a set that was pretty much the same as they have played on the tour, but there is always a sense with Airbourne that they are still hungry, still wanting to whip the audience into a sweaty, beer-sodden, grinning mob of rock madness.

‘Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast’ came early in the set, but it was a none too subtle nod at the verve they were to unleash.

‘Girls in Black’, ‘Diamond In The Rough’, ‘Live It Up’ – live hits that resonate...

Sure, it isn’t high art, but we don’t always want our rock as a high brow, literate. We want it loud, proud and our fuckin’ face.

Review by Jonny

Pictures by Darren McVeigh

Reproduction by explicit written consent only

Airbourne flying high with return visit to Belfast

AUSSIE rockers Airbourne are returning to Belfast for a Monday, October 21st date in the Limelight1 as part of their world tour backing the impressive Black Dog Rising album release.

This will be the third visit to Belfast with the diminutive five-piece, who pack a big blue collar Australian rock punch - something they are keen to build upon within the Black Dog Rising Sonsgs, especially after their performances at Download and at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony.
 
Indeed, the band believe that after 'the difficult secong album' they have achieved much of what they wanted in terms of the sound.




Front man Joel McKeefe explained where they were when it came down to record the new album: "We might have rushed a few things here and there, because we had two world tours back top back up agains each other - and we recorded the music in the middle of all that. We even had some shows between recording. This time we spaced it out!"

Tickets, priced £20 (excl fee) go on sale this Friday, August 23rd, from all usual outlets; support is from Black Spiders.

"We will never do a power ballad. Ever"

NEXT Tuesday (April 13th) one of the most uncompromising hard rockin' ass kickin' bands in the world land in Belfast for their third visit to the city.

Airbourne - if you didn't already know - are the embodiment of blue collar, working class rock 'n' roll: birthed as the bastard sons of AC/DC and Rose Tattoo, conceived in pub where the 'guitar man got famous' and where 'Rock 'n' Roll Outlaws' pounded out tunes to stun.

Belfastmetalheadsreunited caught up with the band, and spokesman in chief Joel O'Keefe as their UK tour progessed towards Belfast to hear how things are sitting as Airbourne's ascendancy towards legendary status continues apace.

With their second 'proper' album out, and three years of a roundabout of touring, punctuated with recording 'No Guts, No Glory', we wanted to know have things caught up with the fearsome foursome?

"It does get tiring but if we get time off we get bored and can't wait to get back on the road," he said. "We live to tour and we tour to live, so bring it on!"

And, with that commitment comes a statement of intent whether it be playing in Belfast or Melbourne for the band.
"We believe that anything worth having is worth working hard for. We are determined to never let any one down, ever. That is what we are all about."

Hard work has paid off for the band. Not least as evidenced from their Belfast debut in The Limelight. Since then their star has been on the rise. From pub venues, through to the festival circuit there is a connection with fans who may be latter day metalheads raised on the excesses of the NWOBHM, or diehard rockers and even thrashers.
As the band has grown we wanted to know the difference between the intimate shows packed into pubs in comparison to the bigger venues and the festivals.

"We love the crowd to be right in our faces but there is also such a great energy playing to a bigger audience," said Joel

All of which bodes well for the Mandella Hall gig - which is big enough to accommodate eager throngs, while still enabling almost all present to connect with the band.

And, connections are all-important to Airbourne: with the audience and with their roots. When it came to writing No Guts, No Glory they headed back to the now almost derelict Criterion Hotel in their hometown Warnambool, Australia.
"It was the perfect place for us. It was close to where we were staying, it had plenty of space for all our equipment and the best burger joint in town was across the road," said Joel. "It was ironic, we played our first ever shows there and the last thing that place ever did was have us in there writing. It almost burnt down a few of months later."

In recent interviews the band have joked that they are just re-arranging the chords for the new songs, but they undertook a rigorous selection process whittling down almost 40 tracks to the ones that hit the streets a few short weeks ago. From their debut releaseRunnin' Wild, No Guts, No Glory retains a winning formula with rabble rousing pub rock to the fore, but with slow burners like Bottom of the Well and the mid-paced White Line Fever showing that the band are prepared to explore the very limits of so-called Aussie pub rock. But where they ever tempted to pander to the pundits and throw in a power ballad?

Let's just say that Joel is emphatic on that point: "We know our sound and what we love and we never want to go away from that. We will NEVER do a power ballad. Ever."
But, the band are no luddites, looking over their shoulder to the past. They have freshened what could have been a jaded hard rock sound, and are prepared to look at other ways to expose audiences to their rockin' antics, including computer and console games, with the likes of Girls in Black from Runnin' Wild appearing on the Need for Speed console game.

"The computer game industry is massive right now, it is almost like the radio was 20 years ago," said Joel. "Millions of people play these games, it's really good to reach this audience that might not hear of us otherwise.

But with kids getting hooked on Airbourne's sounds, too many venues remain out-of-bounds to under-18s.

Joel is apologetic, but not without a nod to what almost every reader of this blog did, or attempted to do when younger: "Unfortunately the agent is the one that books the shows. However, hopefully in the future there will be more all ages shows. In the mean time sneak in and grab a beer!!!"

Airbourne started from humble roots, and through hard work they rose from early 2003 gigs. For many Runnin' Wild was a sudden, but welcome, shock, none less so than when the esteemed organ Classic Rock awarded the band 'Best New Band' in 2008.

It speaks to the bands own modesty their reaction when they received the honour.
"We had no idea, we were just sitting there drinking, then all of a sudden we were getting pushed onto the stage!!"

And therein lies the roots of success. Work hard, expect nothing, but toil to achieve everything. Airbourne play hard, Airbourne are an antidote to sugary sweet, pop pap, and posing bands more concerned with being part of a nebulous scene rather than sticking to what they believe in. There might be No Way But The Hard Way but for fans of all ages Airbourne's route to the top is one we all can enjoy come hell or highwater.

But don't expect any power ballads!

Airbourne play the Mandella Hall on April 13th. There are very, very few tickets left, if any. If you can's get along...your loss!