The Airborne Toxic Event at The Academy

The Airborne Toxic Event At The Academy, Dublin on Saturday 5th of October, 2013

Every music fan knows one band that for reasons they cannot fathom just never manage to break through the fame barrier despite having everything required to do so. The Airborne Toxic Event are a prime example of such. Having just released their third studio album, Airborne Toxic Event are well equipped to launch an attack on the charts but for some reason it just hasn’t materialised. Perhaps they’re happy playing in venues the size of The Academy or they’re just in the industry for the love of music, not too pushed with chart success. Whatever the reason, it’s a damn shame as on their night – Saturday night being one of them – they’re one of the best live artists around.

Support on the night comes from California natives The Drowning Men who bring an eclectic mix of Bloc Party and Airborne themselves with a dash of Gaslight Anthem thrown in for good measure, certainly a band worth looking out for. On a night heavy with material from Airborne Toxic Event’s most successful second album ‘All At Once’ the show kicked off with the record’s title track. Right from the off the band’s infectious energy has the packed out venue making as much noise as a crowd ten times its size and this is followed quickly by the pop-rock double salvo of Wishing Well and Numb keeping things moving along at a swift pace. It’s at this point that the new material gets its first airing of the night as Safe features Anna Bulbrook on vocal duties alongside front-man Mikel Jollett. Give Ham Sandwich’s Niamh Farrell a violin and this is what you’d get. For those unfamiliar with the newer material, it’s a good start.

The hard hitting duo of Papillon and Changing get the crowd moving again before the roof of the Academy is nearly lifted clean off for the song which first garnered the band recognition on the international scene, Does This Mean You’re Moving On. It’s preluded by a rambunctious three-man drum solo, akin to the famous rendition of the song from the Walt Disney Concert Hall back in 2010. It’s a real highlight, particularly for the fan whose camera was brought on stage by Jollett to record the entire thing from a pretty unique angle. Sometime Around Midnight, undoubtedly Jollett’s strongest lyrical effort is stunning in a live setting, followed swiftly by All I Ever Wanted which brings the main set to an end.

The encore is unusual and could explain why Airborne Toxic Event are still playing venues of the size of the Academy rather than pushing on to bigger things. The Academy for the first time on the night is deathly silent for a stunning semi-acoustic rendition of new song Dublin which is written about a girl with whom Jollett had fallen in love with. ‘My love affair with her became a love affair with Ireland and so I wrote this song,’ he explains. After that though things become a little frenetic. The rest of the show consisted of a medley of Airborne Toxic Event’s own songs with Johnny Cash’s Ring Of Fire, Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers American Girl. Whilst the medley is an entertaining listen and the band are clearly having fun, those who wouldn’t be as familiar with the band would be led to believe that the group’s material isn’t strong enough, hence the need to back it up with covers. From a fan’s point of view, however, the medley delights and brings to a close a thrilling whirlwind set which will have to go down as one of the best The Academy has seen this year. Hopefully it won’t be two years before they’re back again.