The Australian band Airbourne is preparing for their second visit to Brazil at the end of this month, when they will perform a single show at Fabrique Club in São Paulo on the 28th. The band returns to the country with their fifth studio album, Boneshaker (2019) , and shortly after touring Europe alongside none other than Iron Maiden .
A few days after wrapping up the dates with Iron Maiden in Portugal ( see photos and review here ), vocalist and co-founder Joel O'Keeffe took advantage of his free time on a ferry ride to talk to Wikimetal about his expectations for returning to Brazil, the new album, and the rock n' roll community.
Regarding the shows on the Legacy of the Beast Tour , which will soon land in Brazil for four Iron Maiden concerts , the Airbourne frontman spoke about the opportunity to observe a machine in full operation like the giants of metal and learn "a few tricks" from the band, whether in production or in the way they dedicate themselves to their work.
“I had the opportunity to see Bruce Dickinson every day and, honestly, this guy just worked hard to give his best every night, there’s nothing in the world that matters more to him than the show when he’s on stage. He gives it his all,” he said. “His voice, I believe, is in the best shape I’ve ever heard. And one of the things I learned was to be more focused and maybe not get drunk on beer the night before, you can drink after the show. He’s absolute tenacity and professionalism in a way I’ve never seen before.”
Despite the difference in musical styles between Airbourne and the tour headliner, the band's frenetic energy on stage makes it almost impossible for them to go unnoticed. “A lot of Maiden fans really liked us, we won over a good crowd and it was great. It had almost a festival vibe because people bought these tickets two or three years ago, so the audience was super excited to get there and have a good time,” he said.
And fun is one of the key words in Airbourne's sound, which relies on classic, raw, and direct hard rock in the style of AC/DC in their discography and sought an even more old-school approach in Boneshaker , an album whose live promotion was interrupted by the pandemic and is finally conquering the world in its natural habitat: live. “After everything we’ve been through, being on stage again is like releasing a wild animal from its cage. It’s been great to resume touring and go all out,” Joel continued. “And the audiences are out of their minds, fiercer than I’ve ever seen before.”
Airbourne's last visit to Brazil was five years ago, when the band also played a single show in São Paulo, this time at the Carioca Club ( see photos and setlist here ). “We'll be back soon and we're very excited. It's one of the most passionate audiences we've ever played for. We only went once, but it was [so good] like eating a piece of chocolate and we decided to come back,” he said. “I remember the audience being very passionate, wearing combat jackets. And after the show, we could go out and have a beer because it was still hot. It's a very beautiful place, I've never seen a bigger city than São Paulo.”
With five albums released, the band manages to remain electrifying and current, despite drawing so directly from the source of pure hard rock. According to the frontman, the band's compositions remain invigorating because they stem from real-life moments and pure devotion to the style. "We just love rock n' roll and put everything we have [into the songs]," he said simply. "I think that's why. We don't try to invent anything."
In the album Boneshaker , Airbourne makes a more direct declaration of love for rock as a lifestyle and global community in “Rock 'N' Roll For Life”. And for Joel O'Keeffe, “rock n' roll is like a universal language”: wherever you go, people love Motörhead and Iron Maiden and embrace new bands. “It’s like a country of its own, where all the inhabitants love the same bands, wear the same kind of jackets and love to have fun. That’s how I see it,” he said.
When asked about the attitude of some within the community, who don't always welcome newcomers so warmly, Joel prefers a more receptive stance. “If you're a new rock fan, if you've just discovered rock, then come on! You'll have the best time ever. The more people, the better. And more people loving rock n' roll means more bands playing shows, and more bands mean more people learning guitar and drums, you know? So that's it, the more the merrier!”
Despite acknowledging that this dream country has fewer inhabitants now than it did between the 1960s and 1980s, Joel firmly states: “Rock isn’t dying. Some people get older, but there are many young people coming, now more than ever. We’ve been on the road for 15 or 20 years and we’re seeing more children and young people at shows and learning instruments. So, definitely, rock hasn’t died, at most, it’s resurging in its own way.”
In their compositions, Airbourne generally addresses topics already well-explored by rock bands over the years: cars, sex, and women. In scenarios sung about by so many male bands, the presence of sexist bias is inevitable, but no such complaints seem to have reached the band's ears so far.
“If you don’t understand, you’re an idiot. This kind [of questioning] has infiltrated sports, and if it happens in rock, fuck off. You can’t take the fun out of rock n’ roll, and we’re one of those bands that doesn’t let anyone come in and take the fun out of rock n’ roll with bullshit about this,” he said on the subject. “There are many parts of the world where you see a balance of men and women, with women now having more power, and we absolutely support all of that. But listen, women are sexy too, and we’re going to sing about that.”
Airbourne will be performing in São Paulo on August 28th (Sunday) at Fabrique Clube (Rua Barra Funda, 1071 – Barra Funda), with RF Force as the opening act. Learn more here .
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