I arrived at the venue a tad later than expected (assuming that there might be a support act). Town Hall in New York is generally not a stop for bands of this magnitude, but it made perfect sense for this act. The show was in two parts comprising a seven song acoustic set followed by twelve songs of electric (and it was pretty electric).
A shout out to my colleague, Jean who joined me at late notice for this show despite being totally unfamiliar with 'The Airborne Toxic Event'. By the time we were having our 'one for the road' a couple of hours later, she liked them a lot.
ACOUSTIC
We took our seats in time for 'All for A woman'. This is a sweet, whimsical little tune and our first intro to the vocal quality of lead singer, Mikel Jolllett. Initial thoughts - the boy can sing and the melodies that accompany him are worthy attributes.
This was followed by a more folk music like tune in 'It Doesn't Mean a Thing.' A happy and happening song which somehow reminds me of Shane MacGowan and the Pogues.
Jollett then uncorks a bottle of vino tinto (which he proceeds to slug from the bottle throughout the show) whilst introducing the next song, 'The Book of Love' (a cover of 'The Magnetic Fields' song which was more recently covered by, Peter Gabriel). Now I generally prefer singers to sing and poets/storytellers to speak, but in this setting, it kind of worked and the audience hung on to Jollett's every word as he told a love story of how his grandparents love to travel and dance in every town/country they visit. 'The Book of Love' is a charming little tale of a couples romance...very mellow indeed.
'Missy' really is like an old Irish folk tune or something. Again, probably ideal for this acoustic set. Some sweet lyrics well conveyed by the lead man. "But I swear, I lie, I curse all of my dreams". This then merges in to a rockabilly vibe with, Springsteen tune, 'I'm on Fire' and, Cash's, 'Folsom Prison Blues'. Not being a huge fan of country music, this was probably the lowest ebb in the evenings proceedings as far as I was concerned.
ELECTRIC
Following a brief intermission (just long enough for a quick tipple in this old fashioned venue), the band returned with, 'Happiness is Overrated' which is fast becoming my favourite Airborne Toxic tune. Jollett stepped back a couple of feet from the mic and was afforded total hush from the audience to deliver the songs intro. The strings provide beautiful sounds in this one before the lead man delivers his "sorry, I really lost my head" lyrics.
This was followed by another firm favourite in 'Gasoline', the bands first single released from their debut album. This one harks back to, Joe Strummer and 'The Clash' for me and that can only be a good thing. Love the little violin cameo that, Anna Bulbrook plays in this one. I think 'Gasoline' literally set this crowd alight. By this juncture, the entire audience were on their feet shaking their hips and bellowing out the lyrics (the girl next to me was totally absorbed and in a state of possession for the duration of the show).
'Changing' took it up another notch. This is the type of anthemic song that I fight not to like, but can't help myself. It's a little poppy, but great riffs, vocals, keyboards and backing vocals from Bulbrook. A real toe tapper of a tune that will stick in your head for days and weeks.
With the crowd at fever pitch and many now dancing in the isles, Jollett jumped off the stage and in to the audience to start off, 'Does This Mean You're Moving On?' a short track that is poppy and enjoyable. In listening to, The Airborne Toxic Event for the past two months, my mind frequently flits back to, 'The Libertines' and 'Dirty Pretty Things' and that delightful duo of, Doherty and Barratt. This tune certainly fits that billing.
'Half of Something Else' begins nice and calmly with meteoric harmonies before completely erupting in to a superb rock tune. Jollett going absolutely bananas in the chorus with an angry outburst, "the way that you screamed, the way that you cried, the way that you wiped your eyes and fell down by my side" that he carries off despite being the least angry man on the planet. 'Sometime Around Midnight' followed a similar vein and kept things flowing nicely.
'All I Ever Wanted' kicks in with a wonderful guitar riff and sublime strings with Noah Harmon plucking the cello and Bulbrook's violin both shining through on this track. It's the kind of 'drive faster' tune that I like on my gym playlists. Very well composed and expertly delivered. We were then in more relaxed mood with 'Innocence' which is a real slow burner that had me wondering why it wasn't part of the acoustic set. It does however burst in to life a few minutes in and ends pretty frantically.
Following a very short break, Jollett returned to the stage to sing 'The Graveyard Near the House'. In this arena, his voice was haunting in a good way. A quaint little song with a beautiful chorus line culminating in "you have no idea about me...do you?" Props to drummer, Daren Taylor on this one who managed to snap his drum sticks together and maintain the rhythm with the time perfection of a Swiss clock. We had reached the end of the show and new album opener, 'All at Once' proved a suitable closer.
The end was met with standing ovation from a delighted audience, before Jollett had the last words. He and the band are so genuine and this is a quality that often lacks in musicians. This band have, for all intents and purposes 'made it' and their fan base will undoubtedly continue to grow, yet they remain grounded. They expressed their sheer joy and appreciation of being there and having the ability to play in front of fans who enjoy their music. Mingling with the audience afterward, Mikel Jollett proved not only to be a strong vocalist and musician, but a true gentleman as well.
'The Airborne Toxic Event' surpassed the high expectations that others had formed for me and thankfully continued a strong run of live performances that I have attended. If they are playing in your town, go and see them. I raised the rating on the album review to a solid 7.5, so the live show has to exceed that. Rating 8/10.
A shout out to my colleague, Jean who joined me at late notice for this show despite being totally unfamiliar with 'The Airborne Toxic Event'. By the time we were having our 'one for the road' a couple of hours later, she liked them a lot.
ACOUSTIC
We took our seats in time for 'All for A woman'. This is a sweet, whimsical little tune and our first intro to the vocal quality of lead singer, Mikel Jolllett. Initial thoughts - the boy can sing and the melodies that accompany him are worthy attributes.
This was followed by a more folk music like tune in 'It Doesn't Mean a Thing.' A happy and happening song which somehow reminds me of Shane MacGowan and the Pogues.
Jollett then uncorks a bottle of vino tinto (which he proceeds to slug from the bottle throughout the show) whilst introducing the next song, 'The Book of Love' (a cover of 'The Magnetic Fields' song which was more recently covered by, Peter Gabriel). Now I generally prefer singers to sing and poets/storytellers to speak, but in this setting, it kind of worked and the audience hung on to Jollett's every word as he told a love story of how his grandparents love to travel and dance in every town/country they visit. 'The Book of Love' is a charming little tale of a couples romance...very mellow indeed.
'Missy' really is like an old Irish folk tune or something. Again, probably ideal for this acoustic set. Some sweet lyrics well conveyed by the lead man. "But I swear, I lie, I curse all of my dreams". This then merges in to a rockabilly vibe with, Springsteen tune, 'I'm on Fire' and, Cash's, 'Folsom Prison Blues'. Not being a huge fan of country music, this was probably the lowest ebb in the evenings proceedings as far as I was concerned.
ELECTRIC
Following a brief intermission (just long enough for a quick tipple in this old fashioned venue), the band returned with, 'Happiness is Overrated' which is fast becoming my favourite Airborne Toxic tune. Jollett stepped back a couple of feet from the mic and was afforded total hush from the audience to deliver the songs intro. The strings provide beautiful sounds in this one before the lead man delivers his "sorry, I really lost my head" lyrics.
This was followed by another firm favourite in 'Gasoline', the bands first single released from their debut album. This one harks back to, Joe Strummer and 'The Clash' for me and that can only be a good thing. Love the little violin cameo that, Anna Bulbrook plays in this one. I think 'Gasoline' literally set this crowd alight. By this juncture, the entire audience were on their feet shaking their hips and bellowing out the lyrics (the girl next to me was totally absorbed and in a state of possession for the duration of the show).
'Changing' took it up another notch. This is the type of anthemic song that I fight not to like, but can't help myself. It's a little poppy, but great riffs, vocals, keyboards and backing vocals from Bulbrook. A real toe tapper of a tune that will stick in your head for days and weeks.
With the crowd at fever pitch and many now dancing in the isles, Jollett jumped off the stage and in to the audience to start off, 'Does This Mean You're Moving On?' a short track that is poppy and enjoyable. In listening to, The Airborne Toxic Event for the past two months, my mind frequently flits back to, 'The Libertines' and 'Dirty Pretty Things' and that delightful duo of, Doherty and Barratt. This tune certainly fits that billing.
'Half of Something Else' begins nice and calmly with meteoric harmonies before completely erupting in to a superb rock tune. Jollett going absolutely bananas in the chorus with an angry outburst, "the way that you screamed, the way that you cried, the way that you wiped your eyes and fell down by my side" that he carries off despite being the least angry man on the planet. 'Sometime Around Midnight' followed a similar vein and kept things flowing nicely.
'All I Ever Wanted' kicks in with a wonderful guitar riff and sublime strings with Noah Harmon plucking the cello and Bulbrook's violin both shining through on this track. It's the kind of 'drive faster' tune that I like on my gym playlists. Very well composed and expertly delivered. We were then in more relaxed mood with 'Innocence' which is a real slow burner that had me wondering why it wasn't part of the acoustic set. It does however burst in to life a few minutes in and ends pretty frantically.
The end was met with standing ovation from a delighted audience, before Jollett had the last words. He and the band are so genuine and this is a quality that often lacks in musicians. This band have, for all intents and purposes 'made it' and their fan base will undoubtedly continue to grow, yet they remain grounded. They expressed their sheer joy and appreciation of being there and having the ability to play in front of fans who enjoy their music. Mingling with the audience afterward, Mikel Jollett proved not only to be a strong vocalist and musician, but a true gentleman as well.
'The Airborne Toxic Event' surpassed the high expectations that others had formed for me and thankfully continued a strong run of live performances that I have attended. If they are playing in your town, go and see them. I raised the rating on the album review to a solid 7.5, so the live show has to exceed that. Rating 8/10.
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