Another packed house at KK’s Steel Mill witnessed an explosive night that saw Aussie rockers Airbourne make a long overdue return to Wolverhampton, their last appearance here being way back in 2010. Also along for the ride were Welsh three-piece Florence Black, a band that are very much on the way up having won plenty of new admirers over the past twelve months with some terrific live performances.
With their second album in the pipeline, it feels like Florence Black will be headlining stages like this one in the not too distant future. This was a very tight, focused set that saw the trio hit their stride from the moment they took the stage and they kept the momentum going until they closed out with punchy anthem ‘Sun and Moon’ some forty-five minutes later. A band that are clearly getting better and better, there is an assured confidence about singer / guitarist Tristan Thomas, drummer Perry Davies and bassist Jordan Evans as they tear through ‘Zulu’ and ‘Bird on a Chain’ before showcasing recent release ‘Start Again’. The cover of Budgie’s ‘Breadfan’ remains a pivotal moment in the set, a fitting tribute to another great Welsh band and a song which Florence Black do justice to. Fantastic stuff, and we look forward to seeing them again soon.
There is never really much doubt what you will get with an Airbourne gig, from the stack of Marshall’s either side of the drum riser to Joel O’Keefe’s flag-waving, chest-beating determination to keep Rock n’ Roll alive and kicking. It may be their first show in the city for more than a decade but little has changed, and no one in the crowd is in the least bit concerned. ‘Ready to Rock’ provided the usual incendiary opener, and what followed over the next hour and a half was some of the finest, ear-splitting, rock and roll anyone could wish for.
With one crowd-pleasing rocker after another, ‘Too Much, Too Young Too Fast’, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll for Life’ and ‘Back in the Game’ were received like long lost friends. ‘Girls in Black’ provided the cue for Joel to go walkabout in the audience (on shoulders, of course) and perform his trademark party-piece – repeatedly hitting his head with a can of beer until it exploded. It truly never grows old. The energy was simply relentless and, just when you thought they might slow things down a little like so many other bands would, a makeshift bar was wheeled out for Joel to pour a whisky or two for the crowd to toast Lemmy before they launched into the full-throttle ‘It’s All for Rock ‘n’ Roll’. A band that gives everyone exactly what they demand from start to finish, this was a night that will live long in the memory (and the ear drums) until they come back to do it all over again.
Setlist:
Ready to Rock
Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast
Rock ‘n’ Roll for Life
Back in the Game
Girls in Black
Burnout the Nitro
Boneshaker
Bottom of the Well / Ghostbusters
Breakin’ Outta Hell
It’s All for Rock ‘n’ Roll
Stand Up for Rock ‘n’ Roll
Encore:
Live It Up
Runnin’ Wild
