Airbourne rolled into the Roundhouse on their “Gutsy” European tour with a bill built for maximum decibel damage. A snaking queue outside the Chalk Farm dome signalled this wasn’t just another nostalgia run; it was a triple-hit assault. And from the first note, subtlety was nowhere on the setlist.

Avalanche opened with the unlikely strains of Edvard Grieg’s 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King', a tongue-in-cheek calm before detonation. What followed was a short, incendiary set that flared and vanished like a magnesium strip. 'Blondie' ignited proceedings, frontman Stephen Campbell barking with conviction while lead guitarist Veronica ‘V’ Campbell tore through riffs with feral precision.

'Bottle of Sin' kept boots stomping, complete with a salute to the Roundhouse bar staff, before 'On the Bags Again' landed with a wink and a wallop. There was no breathing space, only acceleration. Rhythm guitarist Blake Poulton locked in tight, Bon Lowe battered the kit mercilessly, and the band moved as one clenched fist.

Then came 'Armed to the Teeth', its intro a not-so-subtle nod to AC/DC. Shirts were shed, inhibitions ditched, and Veronica plunged into the crowd mid-shred like a woman on a six-string mission. 'Down for the Count' added grit to the glamour, Campbell recounting personal knockdowns over muscular riffs that carried a whiff of Def Leppard-sized ambition.

They closed with 'Ride or Die', swerving from an off-kilter intro reminiscent of X-Ray Spex’s 'Germ-Free Adolescents' into a full-throttle duel between Stephen and Veronica that crackled with chemistry. Avalanche didn’t so much warm up the crowd as set it ablaze.

Asomvel stormed in to the 'Rocky' theme and refused to let the pulse drop, their Motörhead-shaped thunder turning the night into a bare-knuckle brawl. By the time Airbourne were ready to deliver the knockout blow, the Roundhouse was already punch-drunk, grinning and begging for more.

Review and photos: Ivan De Mello