Airbourne / Stone Gods / Sound And Fury

The Astoria is barely a quarter full when Canadian rock troupe Sound And Fury take to the stage and attempt to shake off the chills of this foggy London evening. They certainly garner some initial attention as their take on classic AC/DC-inspired riffage is given a 90's makeover by the vocal efforts of Luke Metcalf, whose punkish squealing renders the whole band coming across as a slightly more rock 'n' roll Beastie Boys. Of course, Metcalf inexplicably removing his top (but keeping his tombola hat on) halfway through the set won't win the guys any new fans, but each member oozes personality nonetheless, and it can only be assumed that there will be more than a few converts leaving the building tonight.

Stone Gods on the other hand might feel that they'd have stolen every Airbourne fan in the building were it not for the evident ferocity of the Aussie newcomers' fanbase. The offensively excellent 'Burn The Witch' ignites a set which is high on crowd banter and excellent showmanship; only consolidating Richie Edwards' prowess as a frontman. The Lichfield-born six stringer has no trouble winning over any potential cynics – of which there aren't many, incidentally – as everyone in the ever-filling venue is bullied into clapping, singing and dancing along to future classics such as 'You Brought A Knife To A Gunfight' and 'Knight Of The Living Dead'. If this band aren't filling buildings this size very soon, then something is most definitely wrong in the world.

Indeed, if it weren't for the fact that Aussie rockers Airbourne have more energy than a Jibber Jabber on speed, you might well feel that the night had belonged to their main support. As it is, Joel O'Keefe doesn't have half of the natural charisma of Edwards, but he has an infectious enthusiasm that has seeped its way through the crowd before long before the band has launched into set-opener 'Stand Up For Rock 'N' Roll'. From then on in it's an unstoppable flurry of sweat, booze and manly high-fiving as people of all ages and professions seem to kick their inhibitions into orbit and go well and truly apeshit for an hour.

True, O'Keefe's own interactions with the crowd aren't exactly mind-blowingly original ("This is a song for all the girls in black. It's called 'Girls In Black!'" being one such example), but he has such an evident and honest love what for he does that it is impossible not to like him and Airbourne in general. Tellingly, his much-applauded speech directed at the decision to knock down this beloved venue is both simple and yet poignant, and by the time set-closer 'Black Jack' very nearly sees the Astoria raised prematurely to the ground, those that have been lucky enough to attend tonight's festivities will know that this building’s long history will stay as alive and well as rock music itself.

FUTURE GIGS

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