Airbourne / Skirtbox

It seems that good old-fashioned, balls-out rock 'n' roll is back on the agenda on these shores, and with the likes of Wolfmother, The Answer and Priestess all raising their profiles considerably in the UK last year, the time has evidently arrived for Aussie outfit Airbourne to step into the limelight. Their sophomore record 'Runnin' Wild' has attracted a healthy level of interest in the few weeks leading up to tonight’s sold out show at the legendary Borderline in the heart of Tottenham Court Road, and there is the kind of atmosphere in this tiny venue tonight that suggests everyone is up for one hell of a party. Leather-clad oldies happily rub shoulders with excitable floppy-haired youngsters, and the mixed crowd in attendance is surely a great sign of things to come for the AC/DC-worshipping quartet.

British support act Skirtbox play to a venue that is not quite yet full, but nonetheless receive a healthy ovation – perhaps not so surprising given the impressive number of T-shirts adorning their logo that are scattered throughout the audience. Their own blend of classic, Thin Lizzy-esque rock music goes down a treat with all in attendance, and the vast majority of those in the crowd display huge grins throughout their relatively short set. The faithful few in the front rows headbang like nodding dogs on pogo sticks, and the solitary crowd surfer that bravely dares to leap over a somewhat sparse number of people is a less-than subtle indication of things to come. All in all, it's a highly successful support slot for the rookies, and it's difficult to imagine that they won't be headlining their own shows in the near future.

Chants for the headliners begin to rise up mere seconds after Skirtbox have left the stage, and the crowd is almost immediately swamped with Airbourne T-shirts as the venue suddenly seems to reach bursting capacity. Even as the roadies arrive on stage to tune up there is the unshakable feeling that it's going to be a loud one, and by the time Airbourne do finally take to the stage themselves, this notion is not left mistaken. Unsurprisingly choosing to start their set with epic album-opener 'Stand Up For Rock 'N' Roll', the rockers from Down Under launch into their highly enjoyable romp with an enthusiasm that is just about reflected by those in front of them, who lower their heads and raise their beers in mass approval.

The crowd does take a while to warm up, but things really kick off when the offensively catchy 'Diamond In The Rough' explodes into life, and there are soon more than a few crowd surfers rising up to bother the poor sod who is on security duty tonight. From then on in it really is a party in there, with tracks such as 'Girls In Black' and 'Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast' going down a storm, and by the time frontman Joel O'Keeffe launches himself through the crowd and over the bar to pull himself a pint, the atmosphere in The Borderline is so positive that you feel compelled to hug the nearest sweaty headbanger you can find. You wouldn't of course; some of them are massive, but it doesn't take away from what is a great night for new music, and once the final notes of 'Runnin’ Wild' bring the set to a close, there is no doubt that Airbourne will be back in much larger venues very soon.

FUTURE GIGS

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