The soundtrack to your ears’ last will and testament: Airbourne audaciously arrived to the Rock City stage. Amongst the exhaustion, beer drenching delirium, and chaotic confusion, please welcome…
AIRBOURNE
Another evening, another packed-to-the-rafters show. The eager masses gather like moths to a flame – only this time, the flame is made of pure, unrelenting noizzze. Tonight’s assault on the senses is curtesy of these Australian ruffians, whose sound hits you like a kangaroo on a five-day bender. They don’t just make music: they make you feel it, in the pit of your stomach and the ringing in your ears that’ll last for days…
…yet they weren’t alone in this battle for aural supremacy. First onto the stage is Asomvel to make sure there is no room for anything less than the solid wall of 140BPM. They take thrash and turn it into a plosive protest against everything that’s peaceful. Kicking off the night with Louder & Louder, they foreshadow the riffs that will hit us like a freight train and leave us in a state of deliciously, freshly moshed delirium. Carnage.
The stage lights shut off like a dying star’s last gasp. Airbourne explode onto the stage, frontman Joel O’Keefe grinning like a madman who knows something you don’t. That something? A raucous rebellion; an unbridled release of all reason, and the roar O’Keefe lets out on Ready To Rock is enough to strip away the last shreds of hope you had for a quiet night. Forget the pints of beer hurled around – from both within the pit and out of it, mind you, curtesy of the band’s mini bar on stage and their ‘generosity’ – the crowd responds to those opening riffs with the intensity of rabid animals. This is not about finesse or melody: this is chaos distilled into its purest form.
“Turn that air conditioning off because this is a rock ‘n’ roll show! We’re supposed to be hot and sweaty, baby!”
It’s Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast because the rhythm section propels this maddening momentum further. The crowd, now soaked in beer and covered in confusion, screams along as though this mess could somehow be meaningful. Clearly, they’re forgetting this is an Airbourne show, because when Girls in Black drops it is pure bedlam. O’Keefe becomes possessed. He’s leaping onto a roadie’s shoulders, smashing a beer can against his skull, and showering the lucky few who lap it up like some kind of sacrament.
This is rock ‘n’ roll in its most primal form: fury, beer, and a good dose of self-destructive madness.
Reaching fever pitch, a rendition of Ghostbusters coyly crashes through the sound speakers to remind you that life doesn’t always make sense. It’s a niche little riff reminiscent of the ‘80s pastiche they have going on and welcomes the onslaught of noise that is Breakin’ Outta Hell. O’Keefe, grinning like a rock ‘n’ roll priest, pours Jack Daniels into pint glasses like he’s offering communion – with a lovely little homage to Lemmy Kilmister, it certainly feels sacred – before launching them into the audience once more.
“As long as we are alive, and as long as you are alive, rock ‘n’ roll will never, ever die!”
With a résumé that includes sharing stages with the likes of Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead, this is a band that’s here to shout at you about the futility of existence, and why not do it loud? It’s not just a gig; it’s an initiation into a reality where noise is meaning, and meaning can’t survive without the noise.
In the finality of Runnin’ Wild and the ringing liminality of noise in our ears, you’re left standing there exhausted and beer drenched. Maybe that’s the point of it all. Maybe it’s just noise. For one brief moment, it felt like it maybe made sense.
AIRBOURNE PERFORMED WEDNESDAY 5TH MARCH
WORDS: TALIA ROBINSON
ROCK CITY NOTTINGHAM
We’re not only Nottingham’s favourite venue and nightclub – we’re the UK’s best live venue with a rich history of performers that have played here. Rock ‘n’ roll will never die with Airbourne on our side! Huzzah!
Also while you’re at it, why not check out our gig guide and see if any other of your favourite artists like Airbourne are playing soon! We also have our club nights on a Thursday (Tuned), Friday (Get Lucky) and Saturday (Rebel Rebel) so check those out too!
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