Caught Live: AIRBOURNE (and STONE GODS) - Carling Academy Liverpool 7 November 2008

'It's OK now, they've all gone, the city is yours again', I told myself as I headed into Liverpool, the night after the MTV award show took over town. It was certainly great publicity for our city, but the fare on offer was not my thing, plus I hate all that 'celebrity' stuff. I much prefer a hard-hitting, kick-ass hard rock show such as what was on at the Carling, just 24 hours after Perez Hilton and his mates all skedaddled.

I'm making a habit of spotting the bands outside the venue at this place; as I arrived at the Carling, Dan and Toby from Stone Gods were stood there, ciggies in hand, so I took the opportunity to find out the time they would be playing, straight from the source! As it turned out I had 1/2 hour before they were due on, which was good since I was waiting for a mate, whose ticket I had. Once he turned up we had enough time for a swift pint before heading into what was an already crowded upstairs room at the Carling. Stone Gods came on at around 8:45, and wasted no time in ramping up the volume. This was the first time I'd seen this band, they were meant to play the same venue back in June but were forced to cancel owing to health issues relating to then drummer Ed Graham. Since then, Robin Goodridge (ex of Bush) has taken over the drum stool, now I did see Bush a few times during the late 1990s and after, I don't remember him being THIS LOUD and THIS POWERFUL!
The Stone Gods sound is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, as heavy and as hard as the name suggests. Richie Edwards proved to be a great front man, easily getting the crowd clapping, bouncing, and shouting. Dan Hawkins has swapped his Thin Lizzy T-shirt for a Deep Purple one, and has set his guitar to KILL, not stun!
They played for just under an hour, it was HARD, BRUTAL, LOUD HEAVY METAL - just like it used to be! I've yet to hear the album; if it captures even a fraction of their incendiary live sound, it will be quite something.

After the Stone Gods left the crowd reeling, we had quite a wait before the headliners took to the stage. The Carling Academy had filled up quite nicely by this stage, a great turnout in Liverpool this night for the new Aussie heroes. I suspect many present were AC/DC fans disappointed at not being able to get tickets for their upcoming shows, however this tour is selling like hotcakes too with 'sold out' signs a common sight. The comparisons with AC/DC have been ongoing since 'Running Wild' hit the streets earlier this year; since then of course, the masters have returned with their own new album. It was with eager anticipation then, we awaited the apprentices! Once they came onstage, the crowd erupted as they began with 'Stand Up For Rock and Roll'. It was unrelenting for the next hour, as they blasted through all the tracks from the album, complete with the synchronised guitar swings from David Roads and Justin Street, Joel O'Keefe's abrasive vocals, backed by Ryan O'Keefe's pounding drums. Joel did an offstage walk during 'Heartbreaker', coming right past me while still playing! When not taking a walk, he was smashing cans of Stella against his head until they burst open, then lobbing them into the crowd!

There's nothing complicated about Airbourne, it's straightforward hard-hitting hard rock played by guys who really mean it. It's that which has won over sceptical, hard-to-please classic rock fans, the sort of crowd which can spot fakers and chancers a mile off. These guys are anything but fakers, they are the genuine article. Catch them now, while they are still on the way up, while you can still get up close. They're destined for far bigger things, provided they can keep the unit together. Absolutely awesome.