Airbourne at London Hammersmith Apollo

AIRBOURNE - 1st April 2010 @ HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London.
With, Taking Dawn, Black Spiders.

To kick start the month of April, Great Britain sees to it that the Londoners queuing around the block are nice and moist before the upcoming gig. (Steady now! I mean it's RAINING!) Airbourne are set to play, although it's not quite Australia out here today! Even so, there’s a 5,000 capacity hall to fill and it sure as hell looks to be a close call tonight.

First up is Taking Dawn. The Las Vegas quintet, are more than determined to prove themselves worthy of supporting a band like Airbourne. A classic rock band, with some pretty smooth guitar riffs, they certainly give it their all as they take up the challenge.

Next in line are British rockers Black Spiders, who impress from the get go with their classic Nineties Grunge sound and some excellent vocals. They are both captivating and crazy, and with a little bit of inter-band groping for the ladies, they definitely know how to please the baying crowds.

Before the second support act have even had time to finish packing away their instruments, the arena fills ALMOST to capacity. Already-drunk rockers pile together to await the onslaught of music, chanting "AIRBOURNE! AIRBOURNE! " while the stage is being prepped for their appearance.
The Apollo is packed out with fans of all ages, all there for the love of a bit of classic rock in its truest form: AIRBOURNE. Playing a big venue such as the Hammersmith Apollo gives the performance an extra crispy edge to it. The large stage, along with their energised performance makes the sound so loud you can feel the wind from the vibrations! Starting the set off with "Raise The Flag" - Airbourne are certainly good at what they do, with buckets of energy that doesn't seem to come in any sort of short supply. The band, are exceptionally talented and front man Joel O'Keefe's vocals are outstanding. A band that has come to rival the legendary AC/DC, they really make their mark tonight; the proof, if you need it, is that they even have the security head banging away to their incredibly infectious tunes.
O'Keefe addresses the crowd, arms raised in the air with his hands formed in a diamond, showing in the most symbolic way as he screams, "This song is all about pussy!" as the band slosh into "Chewin' the Fat". The entire audience sing along, which adds to the awesome of this performance, with band and crowd becoming one. The entire audience continue to cheer them on, encouraging the band with their approval during the guitar and drum solo.

With a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand, O'Keefe addresses the audience, to honour the venue. He talks of the beloved Astoria's tear down and announces he is "Here to pledge allegiance to this place right here! The Hammersmith Odeon". Cracking into more rocking tunes, they're fast-paced, and fun, with at least the first 7 rows just moshing away as one big amalgamation of hair, sweat and flesh, not giving a shit what they hit - just enjoying the music. That's how it's done! With a love to spray his audience with beer, O'Keefe quenches their thirst before hollering away into another track. The floors certainly rumbled from this powerful set, tonight! The foursome proves that Britain may make an appearance on their flag, but they can own the ENTIRE United Kingdom with their music! Right to the back wall, the fans are on their feet, jumping, head banging, smashing into other drunken fans and screaming, even those who are in the seating area on the balconies are pretty much all on their feet. And it's just not quite a British gig if you don't show your appreciation by throwing bottles and cups of... well, all sorts towards the stage.

Vocalist O'Keefe makes his way from the stage up to the top stalls, walking amongst the crowd, and leans over the front balcony and plays his guitar with amazing skill!! More power to him since he didn't drop it! Meanwhile the bassist and guitarist are on stage, head banging in unison to the impressive interlude. Not ending there, O'Keefe makes his way back down, passed the audience down the side with his guitar before jumping over the barrier and back towards the stage. After his stint, O'Keefe makes the high-stacked amps his home by taking his place, playing from above as he takes to his guitar solo. If you think that was impressive, some lucky fan at the front was in for a bigger surprise. Taking a bottle of red wine, O'Keefe takes a generous swig, before pointing to one fan at the front, leaning over and passing it to them. It's the classic scenario for Airbourne tonight; girls on their boyfriend’s strong shoulders and all sorts thrown their way: Jacket... Shoes... Bras... You name it!! Not ending the fun there, O'Keefe uses the other side’s stack of amps to conquer and places his mic stand on top with him! Its O'Keefe's own private little rock show!

After only having left the stage for a few minutes, the crowd clap their band back onto the stage for their encore. Immediately O'Keefe seems to decide the audience are looking a little dry mouthed, so the generous vocalist takes an unopened can of Stella and goes with the beat of the drums, rapidly bashing the can against his head until it's spraying in all directions before throwing it to the crowd. Now I know that's some head of curly locks he's got there for bouncy protection, but does that not hurt? O'Keefe keeps this up for at least 5 beers. What a nice err.... gesture. For the last song, O'Keefe approaches the the front, taking a Union Jack flag from some fans and showing it to the crowd, for a loud cheer before giving it back.
As the night draws to a close, the audience certainly seem to be united in opinion, Tonight Airbourne DELIVERED in spades; Rocking tunes, with blistering solos and enough energy and vitality onstage to rouse even the most conservative of audiences, not that there was any holding back from anyone here tonight.