Airbourne | Asomvel | Avalanche
Manchester Academy
25th November 2026
Airbourne deliver a life-affirming set of raw unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll to a packed Manchester Academy. It’s a night imbued with the spirit of beer and partying as headliners and rising stars and fellow Aussies Avalanche deliver their brand of in your face, no frills rock.
AC/DC’s power as a live act may be slowly fading, yet their spirit lives on tonight. Roaring out of the bars of Sydney, come tonight’s opening act Avalanche. Loud, abrasive, visually arresting and with boundless energy, they’re a band on the rise. There are guitar pyrotechnics and gruff, in your face vocals. Red-maned singer, Steven Campbell, commands centre-stage with hoary vocals and sheer presence, while his wife V spits out firecracker solos on guitar. Behind them, the rhythm section piles riff upon hard rock riff.
Bottle Of Sin and On the Bags Again impress musically while lyrics reflect their hard living image. Closing track Ride Or Die builds into heavy rock mayhem but closes with husband and wife kissing tenderly centre stage: Soft hearts within their hard exterior. Tonight, Avalanche reveal themselves as a great live band and their 30 minute set’s far too short. If you’re a fan of no frills rock n’ roll, just go and see them!
British rockers Asomvel are up next. Their mix of primal rock ‘n’ roll and thrash metal hits like a juggernaut. There’s a raw energy here, driven by relentless powerful drumming. In image, content and style there’s a debt to Motorhead too. For 40 minutes we’re pummelled by their aural onslaught. A few songs in they pause to inquire, “Are we loud enough?” followed by, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.” Well, your reviewer’s obviously too old. Standing, photographing from the pit, even wearing earplugs, the noise is painful. They’re undoubtedly good at what they do and they’re well received. But theirs is a case of brute force outweighing charisma, and following a live act as impressive as Avalanche is tough.
There’s a great atmosphere among tonight’s crowd, mixed in age and gender, and they’re definitely up for a party. On stage though, there’s more than a whiff of macho rock. A sense of the “My dick’s bigger than your dick” syndrome pervades. We’re not talking public exposure here, it’s all about the backline; each band successfully out sizing each other with banks of iconic Marshall amps and speakers. By the time Airbourne hit the stage, drummer Ryan O’Keefe’s virtually performing in a cave, amp and speaker stacks towering above him.
The doom-laden theme to Terminator fades to a lone guitar before Joel O’Keefe’s ear shattering screech pierces the darkness. The crowd erupt, fists punching the air, with security staff instantly working overtime as surfers tumble over the pit barrier.
Airbourne open with Gutsy, the first of two impressive new tracks aired tonight. AC / DC-inspired Cradle To The Grave heralds a trio of tracks from Black Dog Barking. Hungry and Back In The Game follow in quick succession with the crowd spontaneously chanting the band’s name. Never one to miss an opportunity, guitarist / vocalist Joel steps up as cheerleader, celebrating with the first of tonight’s beers.
In 1976, your once young reviewer watched the late Bon Scott strut around Reading Festival stage with diminutive schoolboy Angus shredding guitar on his shoulders. Fifty years on, and Airbourne update the stunt during Raise The Flag. Frontman O’Keefe’s carried deep into the crowd and he’s got his own party trick. Smashing a tinnie against his head, he sprays himself and all around with amber nectar. Mayhem ensues…
Cheap Wine And Cheaper Women’s mid-paced classic rock riff raises energy levels further, before the band pause to introduce another new song. “Wanna be in a video? This is a new one, Alive After Death.” A cameraman’s introduced on stage and the ecstatic crowd response generated by the promise of a moment of limelight comes as no surprise. It’s an impressive riff-driven stomping song too; not that that it seems to matter.
They close with Live It Up. Sirens wail and O’Keefe leads the crowd in mass singing before “Lemmy’s pop up bar” is wheeled of stage. Beers are dispensed, Aussie style, thrown through the air with many doused in ale as the rabid alcohol thirsty crowd grasp at flying plastic glasses.
Returning to encore, Ready To Rock’s proves a great rallying cry with O’Keefe as conductor in chief once more, leading mass audience singalongs between blistering guitar breaks. Running Wild sees the band’s Manchester road crew brought on stage and a homage paid to the iconic Marshall speakers towering above them. Almost inevitably, the night spirals into a cacophony of guitar-driven noise with, O’Keefe high kicking his way around the stage.
Some crowds come to gigs to watch and listen, some come to party, and tonight’s been a hell of a party. It hasn’t been a night for those with woke sensibilities but in Avalanche and Airbourne, live raucous rock n’ roll, with a touch of macho charisma, is very much alive and well.
Airbourne can be followed on Facebook | Instagram |and their website
Asomvel can be followed on Facebook | Instagram |and their website
Avalanche can be followed on Facebook | Instagram |and their website
Words and photos by Trev Eales. More work by Trev can be found on Louder Than War at his author’s profile.
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