While walking around Hyde Park the previous day, I managed by email exchange to get my name on the guest list for the September 30 daytime performance by the Airborne Toxic Event at the Social in London. After spending the morning unsuccessfully trying to book flights on Ryan Air, I headed out to Oxford Circus.
On December 4, 2009, Los Angeles quintet the Airborne Toxic Event performed a live sold out show at the Disney Concert Hall before over 2,000 adoring fans, and received what appear to have been rave reviews. I was unable to attend that apparently epic show (am now regretting not having made more of an effort to do so), but I did manage to see TATE a number of times between mid-2006 and early-2007, during what would be referred to later as their "meteoric rise" (which in my opinion is kind of a dumb, nonsensical expression, but then again, you don't see me coming up with anything better). I think it took me two shows to "get" it, but once this breakthrough took place (this insight being cemented upon hearing the at the time unreleased single "Sometime Around Midnight" on the radio -- Indie 103, was it?) I strongly suspected that this was a band ready and capable of hugeness. The fact that the guys were regular fixtures in the Silverlake/Los Feliz/Echo Park scene, often out supporting the other bands that in 2006/2007 seemed to have the potential for that sort of rise, and were consistently friendly, warm, people, made me even more eager that they achieve significant commercial and critical success.
I've been wrong many times before, but I fear my wish was granted a bit too soon, and they soon became virtually impossible to see without a large amount of planning and/or expense (or at Coachella, which I think falls into the "and" category, plus sun). See Wikipedia article for detailed chronicling of their rise.
TATE just released (on September 28) a DVD called "All I Ever Wanted", chronicling both the preparation for and performance of their Disney Concert Hall show. Here is the trailer for the DVD:The Social is a tiny bar located on Little Portland Street, a five minute walk from the Oxford Circus tube station in central London, unassuming from the street.
I arrived around 1:00 p.m.ish for the 1:30 p.m start time. Hipsters milled about outside, making me nostalgic for music nights out in small L.A. venues (soon to return). The venue itself was downstairs, in a narrow but deep room, tables lined up along the wall, sandwiches on trays in the center towards the f
ront. Music blogger/nerd types in abundance, each carrying bags or backpacks (admittedly I had one too), although (I took a headcount) the full bar fit only about 40 people, not counting the band and support crew. I hadn't seen or spoken to the guys in the band in probably over two years, but they greeted me warmly, just like the days of before. How nice, right?And there was an open bar in the back.
I don't know if the band was responsible for the playlist on the loudspeakers before the show, but I was satisfied: Of Montreal, Arcade Fire, Neutral Milk Hotel, Nico...When the band came on, I felt grateful (too strong a word? maybe "pleased"?) to see them again, and in a venue much like those in which I first saw them, but in which now would be a virtual impossibility. The sound was slightly off for the first 30-60 seconds, but soon it was perfect, their now concert hall ready presence filling up the tiny room. The playlist was short, but consistently good:
1) "Numb" -- I liked it, much "harder" sound than I am used to from the band. I'm getting the sense that the new album has a rougher feel, not in terms of production (which I suspect will be of high quality), but in terms of loud guitar sounds, etc.
Watching them play this first number made it abundantly clear that TATE has truly become a "big venue" band, not just one with potential to become so, and it was fascinating to watch that huge sound captured within the small space.Banter (paraphrased): "We've been recording a new album and we're going to explain a bit about the recording process." Makes a comment about being a "sensitive band" so "don't text...just kidding".
2) Alternatively titled "Welcome to Your Wedding Day" or "Flight of the Predator Drones". Another super rocking song, triplet eighth notes, loud!Banter (paraphrased): "The last record was recorded at a friend's house, some of the tracks done in a single take, on lunch breaks, etc. The new record is much bigger budget, lots of overdubbing, mixing."
3) Alternatively titled "Something You Own" or "Changing is Strange". For lack of a better descriptive phrase, I would say that Mike's vocals came off almost as if he was performing a heavy metal song (goes along with the "large sound" I keep emphasizing). At this point I noticed that despite being relatively new, these songs all sound complete, fully rehearsed, and all potential hits.Banter: "That was fun!"
4) "This Losing". Apparently not a new song, but a concert favorite: "The most common question we are asked at shows is why this song wasn't on the album. It's probably going to be on the new album." Here TATE brings out Anna's violin, as well as some bow-playing on the bass.Banter: Tells a story about touring, waking up on a bus, somewhere in the middle of Czechoslovakia, in a country where people don't speak English and mostly enjoy music for "the beat", and getting up on stage and singing lyric-heavy songs about personal loss. They wrote 40 new songs for the record, the first 20 were about touring. The next 20 were about other things.
5) "All For a Woman". Ballad-type song, starts slow, builds, more sentimental feel and lyrics than the other songs. From the one listen, I'm hearing someone in a very different place from the protagonist in the last album. This is no longer the hurt, scorned guy from "Sometime Around Midnight".Banter (paraphrased): "I'm starting to wonder what people come to shows for. I've observed that people walk away happy, even though all the songs are about being sad. I think what songs all have in common is that they are a celebration of something -- the last record was a celebration of feeling loss and getting through it. We're still here!"
6) "All at Once". Epic song, song to play loud in the car with the windows down. I can imagine it filling up the space of the Hollywood Bowl.The set ended, and the band milled around the room, mingled with the fans, and their staff. Everyone seemed pleased.
I emerged from the show before 3:00 p.m., the sun was out, and I took a walk down Goodge Street. I truly had nothing to do, how wonderful. It was a feeling that I would have so cherished over the last few years, but I caught myself almost taking it for granted. I walked down the street, stopped in a bar, had a few pints while listening to the Stone Roses, the Lemonheads, etc. and read Exodus. It was great.I found myself to be hungry, and bought Kentucky Fried Chicken, 3 pieces, maybe the first time I've ever had it (at least the first time in the last 5 years), and read a flyer about how this particular KFC was experimenting with halal food.
Took the tube home, and took a nap. Joe woke me up when he came home, we took a trip to the Tesco to buy ingredients for pasta. He cooked, and he, Remy and I shared another meal along with some of the Israeli Arak. I observed that we had almost finished off the arak and Joe responded "Mission accomplished!" I enjoyed this pun.
Afterwards, he, Remy and I watched a double feature of Europa Europa, the 1990 German film about a Jewish teenager during the Holocaust who pretends to be a Nazi in order to survive, and Poltergeist, the story of a southern California family terrorized by some really mean ghosts.
Airborne Toxic Event -- Sometime Around Midnight
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