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By GREG MAKI
Alright people welcome to the show
Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to go?
Yeah we’ve got what you want and we’ve got what you need
So get your arse down here n’ let your ears bleed
C’mon drink your beer and drink your wine
Let’s have a good time
We’re ready, so get ready
We’re gonna rock, rock tonight
Stand up for rock n’ roll!
Now who can argue with any of that? Why would you want to?
On the fists-in-the-air battle cry “Stand Up for Rock ‘N’ Roll,” Airbourne introduces itself to American audiences with the kind of swagger that would make Bon Scott proud. The band, which, like AC/DC, hails from Australia , never loses that confidence as it struts its way through the 11 bluesy, ballsy tracks of its debut, Runnin’ Wild. A buzz has been building on these shores since the album’s Australian release seven months earlier. Video gamers might be familiar with them through their inclusion on the soundtracks to Madden NFL 08 and NHL 08. As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait.
If AC/DC is going to continue to work at a snail’s pace, Airbourne is ready to fill the void. But that’s not giving them enough credit because AC/DC hasn’t rocked with this much attitude and energy in almost 30 years. Runnin’ Wild is a flat-out great rock album. You’ll want to hear it at your next party when you’re not thinking about the mess you’ll have to clean up the next day; at your local bar as you’re slamming back beer after beer and shot after shot; in your car as you’re tooling down the highway; in a hot, sweaty rock club; in a stadium packed with rabid fans singing every word. This is the kind of music that becomes the soundtrack to memories.
I won’t describe each individual song. You can look at the titles—“Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast,” “Fat City,” “Blackjack,” “Girls in Black,” “Cheap Wine & Cheaper Women”—and know what you’re getting into. Each one is a classic. Nothing I can write will describe Airbourne better than the lyrics of “Stand Up for Rock ‘N’ Roll”:
Forget about the neighbors, let ‘em cry all night
Yeah it’s about time that we set them alright
If you’ve got a match, then we’ve got the gas
Let’s start a fire and have ourselves a blast
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