Thursday 6th February 2014 by Edward Keeble | Photos by WENN.com

Happy birthday Axl Rose: why it's still cool to be a Guns N' Roses fan

There's life after Chinese Democracy

1) Their live show still ROCK: The band will be kicking things off in 2014 with a South American tour in March. With glowing reviews for their stadium shows in 2013 and various headline slots including the Governor's Ball, they seem to have ironed out the kinks in their performances. They are also yet to announce festival dates.

2) Axl Rose is one of the last great rock stars: Like Last Of The Mohicans, Rose is an endangered class of human: the balls-out rocker who does whatever he wants regardless of what everyone else thinks. Motley Crue have retired, Kiss are done, the Stones may be a little long in the tooth. So who's going to carry that mantle? Love him or hate him it's Rose. Just be prepared to deal with the band arriving rather late on stage as a result.

3) They pay fan service: Look at these little nippers, they are Guns 'N Roses fans and they weren't even around when the original line-up existed. This is because the band have an awareness, the crowd want 'Paradise City', 'November Rain', 'Welcome to the Jungle' and boy do they get it.

4) They are working on new material - and it might just be AMAZING: With a band as unpredictable as these you never know what the hell their new material will sound like, or when it will land. The follow up to Chinese Democracy was supposed to ready in 2013. However we've still heard nothing; like its predecessor it will either be superb or terrible with Rose promising that he has learnt from his mistakes.

5) Axl Rose is hilarious: Intentional or unintentional humor is irrelevant really. He reckons Red Hot Chili Peppers had microchips up their bums during their Super Bowl show. We don't know where he got that idea from, but it certainly made people laugh.

6) Axl Rose still has one of the best voices in rock: His style of rock vocal is still hugely iconic, and Rose has managed to maintain it throughout his career and is still just as powerful 20 years on, when booming out in huge stadiums.

7) And of course... There is always that slim chance of a reunion: While things remain apocalyptic between Rose and the rest of the band, a reunion is now regarded as something that could be possible. Slash told Larry King: "So, rather than be a pessimist and say, 'No, it'll never happen,' it's not like I'm harbouring a lot of resentment. If it happens one day, it happens."

Tags: Guns N Roses

Happy birthday Axl Rose. The iconic Guns N Roses frontman turns 52 today (6 February), and no matter what your opinion on the band's modern output, there's no denying the frontman is a bit of a legend.

Their most recent album, 2008's Chinese Democracy, fell a little flat with fans, but hopes are high for the band's promised 2014 project. Plus, in the years since that misstep, they've remained huge headliners, sold out stadiums and even apologised for the album that many believed marked the beginning of the end. They might just be on the road to recovery, meaning it could be time to get excited all over again...