It is almost two decades since Airbourne released Runnin’ Wild came out, and throughout that time you have always known exactly what you are going to get from the O’Keeffe brothers.
As Joel O’Keeffe proudly points out on the title track, “gutsy” is not merely a word: it is a way of life — their way of life. Airbourne came out of Australia determined to battle everything that moved, and nothing has diminished that desire.
“Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)” is a simple song, but it displays their sheer love of playing rock ’n’ roll. O’Keeffe says at the end of their shows that as long as the crowd is still alive and the band are still alive, rock ’n’ roll will never die. This song makes that belief abundantly clear.
There is something more tender about “Here She Comes”. Its opening is certainly more Blue Öyster Cult than AC/DC, although that does not last. Airbourne’s version of a power ballad still needs to be played loudly, and it will surely become a mainstay of the live set.
It is back to their usual business with “Kid In A Candy Store”, which claims that, rather like Faster Pussycat, O’Keeffe got the number from the back of a bathroom wall all those years ago. The breakdown in the middle is pure Van Halen. Airbourne are basically a wish-fulfilment band: four lads playing the hard-rock music they love.
“Sky High” is exactly that, before “Who Put The Rhythm In You?” supplies another enormous chorus and asks the sort of question that can only be answered with the volume turned up.
“Christmas Bonus” does not even bother pretending to be a double entendre. It is a single one. She has stockings, because of course she does, and Father Christmas comes twice. We probably do not need to delve into that one any further.
“Last Man Standing” is surely the tale of a man who simply wants to be a rock ’n’ roll outlaw. “Rock ’N’ Roll Ya” is more or less the same, and bands like this have always cast themselves as modern-day cowboys. That is exactly how Airbourne want to be.
“Bogotá” is fists-in-the-air, a little nonsensical and contains champagne and cocaine. Why wouldn’t it? “Hells Got No Vacancy” proudly revels in Airbourne being a bad-boy rock ’n’ roll band. They sort of are, and always have been.
“Send Me To Rock ’N’ Roll Heaven”, though, is the key to all this. It begins by thinking about Lemmy and ends with a roll call of the band’s heroes before O’Keeffe adds, “Rock in peace, Ozzy.” Airbourne played at the Back To The Beginning show in Birmingham in 2025, and that connection matters.
Airbourne receive plenty of stick for sounding like AC/DC and Rose Tattoo. Of course they sound like them. It is not news to Airbourne, either. They want to sound like their heroes because all they want to do is play rock ’n’ roll.
There is nothing wrong with that. They have been extremely good at it for a long time. The bands they love have either become pale shadows of themselves or will not be around much longer, so it is wonderful to hear the torch being carried by somebody who desperately wants to do it.
Gutsy is another gutsy hard-rock record, delivered with the force of nature required to make it a very good one.
Rating: 8.5/10
