Live Review: Airbourne - Academy 2, Manchester
25th February 2026
Support: Asomvel, Avalanche
Words: Matthew Williams
Photos: Rich Price
After getting the word on Instagram from Avalanche that they were starting at 7.30pm prompt, as Asomvel were back after their illness the night before, I raced up the M6 for a night of “rock n fuckin roll baby”!!!!
With Greig’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” playing through the house PA, Avalanche appear with a great rock sound and kick off their brilliant set with “Blondie” followed by “Bottle of Sin”. They have a recurrent theme for their songs as bassist/singer Steven Campbell tells us the song is “about drinking and we know how much you fuckers like to drink”. The solos and riffs coming from lead guitarist Veronica Campbell and Blake Poulton are a joy to listen to, and the quartet are a bundle of energy on stage.
More drinking shenanigans appear with “On the Bags Again” as the Sydney based foursome rip through their, unfortunately, short set, as this is awesome fun to watch. From their new album, they play “Armed to the Teeth” and they are “loving their first time” over in the UK. “Down for the Count” is about getting back up after being knocked down, which Campbell insists has happened lots to him. With the crowds’ horns up, they play the excellent bluesy rock n roll number “Ride or Die” which has a strong tempo and is a storming end to their set. I look forward to seeing these again when they return to the UK.
After a night off in Birmingham, four-piece Asomvel return like leather clad gladiators to slay all before them. As “Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky rings out, there is no messing about, and they plough headfirst into “King of the World”. There’s high intensity as they rip through their set with “Louder & Louder” followed by the boisterous “Born to Rock n Roll”. They are owning the stage and look very comfortable up there, and when frontman Ralph Robinson asks, “Are you ready to rock n roll Manchester?” he gets an extremely loud roar of approval.
They have a huge collective sound, made bigger when all three are on vocals, and get the crowd worked up during “If it’s too Loud, you’re too Old” and “Your Worst Nightmare” which is dedicated to the previous evening’s food poisoning. “We’ll release a new album later this year, when we find a new label” quips Robinson before “Set our World on Fire” which has more scintillating solos flowing through it.
The band have grown into an extremely efficient and thoroughly enjoyable rock n roll band to watch. The speed goes up a few notches on “Luck is for Losers” and “Lone Wolf” which is a catchy song with big riffs aplenty. There’s some proper headbanging being done to “Take you to Hell” and we are encouraged to “Light `Em Up” before they end with the fury that is “The Nightmare Ain’t Over” which gets rapturous applause.
With two walls of Marshall stacks either side of the drum kit, the stage is set for the return of Airbourne. I’m almost ashamed to admit this was my first time seeing them live, but armed with a bag full of classic songs, I was in for a treat. With red spotlights crossing the stage, camera phones are poised and there’s a rumbling sound before they appear, with Joel O’Keefe taking centre stage as they start with “Gutsy”.
The crowd goes absolutely nuts and within seconds the band are in complete control whipping their audience into a frenzy. It signals the first crowd surfers with “Fat City” producing clap along moments, before the simple but effective “Cradle to the Grave” and what a song it is. Joel then informs us that “I love this fucking town, and when we rehearse for a tour, we always come here as it’s a week on the piss”. He is a true showman, as the others traverse the stage, he’s constantly jumping off stage rises.
“Hungry” was introduced with the story about they had nothing and “for years played to about two people” but the rhythm is fast and electric. This is exactly what I was hoping for, high-octane, high-energy rock n roll chaos, which was so much fun to witness. The monstrous “Back in the Game” and “Raise the Flag” get the crowd bouncing, more so as Joel gets on someone’s shoulders and heads into the pit whilst playing some cracking solos.
One of my favourites was up next, “Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women” which was everything I wanted it to be, full of riffs and Aussie swagger. “This is the best city on this island” which of course gets huge applause and tells us “only certain ones” from the crowd will be part of the video for upcoming single “Alive after Death” signalling a swarm of crowd surfers. I didn’t think it could get better, but with “Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast” they take things to a different level.
They play filthy, hedonistic, bluesy rock n roll, and with blinding lights, “Breakin Outta Hell” is followed by the sensational “Live it Up”, which starts with drummer Ryan O’Keefe breaking out the air raid sirens, and then has big brother throwing beers into the crowd for them to catch. They finish with two predicable, but nonetheless immensely magnificent songs, “Ready to Rock” as Joel appears on top of one of the stacks to kick it off and end with the raucous “Runnin’ Wild”. I’ve finally had my Airbourne cherry taken off me, and now I want more!!!!
Photo Credits: Rich Price Photography
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