Episode 8 of AAA brings together two sides of rock life in 2010: Airbourne, the Australian hard-rock band firing up stages across the UK, and a memorable encounter at one of metal's biggest annual events.
You will need to watch the pod on YouTube to understand why Scott and Andy are laughing at Tom's antics at the start of the show!
This week, we feature two archival interviews with Airbourne. The first was recorded in Edinburgh, where the band were promoting their then-recent album, No Guts No Glory" and making a mark on the UK rock scene. The second interview was recorded at T in the Park 2010, capturing the energy and humour that have become hallmarks of their festival/gig performances. Tom sets each clip in context, then we play the tapes and let the band speak for themselves about touring, recording and keeping rock simple and direct.
Later in the episode, Tom recalls an event in London where he met Sir Christopher Lee at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. At the 2010 ceremony, the veteran actor was presented with the Spirit of Hammer award for his connection to heavy music, including his own metal recordings and his wider cultural impact within the genre. Former AAA guest Tony Iommi was on hand to present Lee's award on stage.
Tom's recollections of the evening add to the funny Airbourne material and give a sense of the broader rock and metal world around the band at that time.
Andy's Australian impressions are also a standout!
After the interviews, Tom is joined by Scott McArthur and Andy Muir for their conversation. Topics include:
What made Airbourne stand out on the circuit?
How the band's straightforward rock ethos translates into both interviews.
The surprise of briefly meeting Sir Christopher when he was being honoured as a metal artist.
The discussion mixes humour (the beer story is brilliant) and insight, leaning into the unexpected moments that make rock history worth revisiting.
