Airbourne

Airbourne
Origin	Warrnambool, VIC
Genres	Hard rock
Years active	2001 – present
Labels	EMI, Roadrunner, Spinefarm
Associated acts	Palace of the King Black Aces
Website	http://www.airbournerock.com
Members	Joel O'Keeffe Ryan O'Keeffe Justin Street Brett Tyrell
Past members	Adam Jacobsen David Roads Matt Harrison Jarrad Morrice

Band members

• Line-up
  • Joel O'Keeffe (vocals, guitar)
  • Ryan O'Keeffe (drums)
  • Justin Street (bass)
  • Brett Tyrell (guitar)

• Former members
  • Jarrad Morrice (guitar) 2022 - 2023
  • Matt Harrison (guitar) 2017 - 2022
  • David Roads (guitar) 2001 - 2017
  • Adam Jacobsen (bass) 2001 - 2005

Band information

Airbourne is a hard rock band that formed in Warrnambool in 2001. An early independent EP was released before they moved to Melbourne where they were soon signed to five album deal with Capitol and opened for Mötley Crüe in 2005. During 2006 the band joined the summer festivals circuit including the Big Day Out and played the Melbourne support to the Rolling Stones. Following this the group headed in to record the album Runnin' Wild but major shake-ups at Capitol meant that Airbourne was dropped from the label's roster in February 2007. EMI retained the band for Australian release however and the album was issued in July, reaching #21 on the national album chart. In September, the iTunes-only release Live at the Playroom was made available. The group signed to Roadrunner for international distribution and were nominated for ARIA Awards for Best Breakthrough Album and Best Rock Album, but failed to win.

Airbourne toured Australia with Motörhead and Rose Tattoo in October, 2007. Following this they toured through North America with acts like Korn and Kid Rock before returning to Australia for a final tour over December/January ahead of moving base to the US in 2008. Runnin' Wild was released worldwide on January 29, 2008. In July they were part of the Rockstar Mayhem tour with Slipknot and Machine Head through the US and in November toured Europe with bands like Motörhead and Die Toten Hosen.

In 2008 Runnin’ Wild won Metal Hammer’s Best Debut Album award and the group won Classic Rock’s Best New Band award. The album was also ranked at #5 on Classic Rock's list of best albums of the year. In January 2009, Airbourne began working on their second album. As work on the album continued, the band played the summer festivals circuit in Europe. No Guts. No Glory was announced as the album's title in October, with a release date of March 10, 2010. It immediately peaked on the ARIA Albums chart at #19 and was later nominated for an ARIA Award (missing out to Parkway Drive's Deep Blue). Airbourne performed at the Big Day Out during January 2011 and mid-year toured the UK with Iron Maiden. From late 2011 Airbourne was less active on the live front as they worked on their third album, Black Dog Barking, released in May 2013 and reaching #17 on the ARIA album chart. Black Dog Barking was nominated for the Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album at the 2013 ARIA Awards but lost out to Karnivool's Asymmetry.

Breakin' Outta Hell was released in September 2016 and peaked at #13 on the albums chart. Once again, the band was nominated for the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal ARIA but failed to win. Immediately after a brief Australian tour in early 2017, David Roads left Airbourne and was replaced by Matt Harrison. In September they released the compilation Diamond Cuts: The B-Side as a 10th anniversary tribute to their first album.

Airbourne appeared at Download in Sydney and Melbourne in early 2019 and released Boneshaker (#14) in October. When the band re-convened after the COVID pandemic in 2022, Harrison was replaced by Jarrad Morrice of Black Aces and they toured Australia with Steel Panther in October. In mid-2023, Morrice was replaced by Brett Tyrell, who had replaced him in Black Aces.

Discography

Albums:

2007	Runnin' Wild	EMI
2010	No Guts. No Glory	EMI
2013	Black Dog Barking	Roadrunner
2016	Breakin' Outta Hell	Spinefarm
2017	Diamond Cuts: The B-Sides	Roadrunner
2019	Boneshaker	Spinefarm

Singles:

2007	Runnin' Wild	EMI
2007	Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast	EMI
2008	Diamond in the Rough	EMI
2010	No Way But the Hard Way	EMI
2010	Blonde, Bad and Beautiful	EMI
2010	Born to Kill	EMI
2013	Live it Up	Roadrunner
2013	Nobody Fits Me (Better Than You)	Roadrunner
2016	Breakin' Outta Hell	Spinefarm
2019	Boneshaker	Spinefarm

EP:

2004	Ready to Rock	Independent