The Airborne Toxic Event, The Annex for ClubNME/Stolen Transmission, NYC. 2/27/08
Los Angeles’ (Los Feliz to be exact) The Airborne Toxic Event drew a huge crowd of industry folk at the Annex lastnight during their performance at the ClubNME/Stolen Transmission night, and they were joined by eager 18 year old NYU students that were dancing up a storm up front, staring up in awe. When the band took the stage I was standing in the corridor of the venue talking to the doorgirl JennyPenny about something that happened earlier that week and had to leave in basically mid-sentance because the music from inside the venue was pulling me. I felt like Tucan Sam in those Fruit Loop commercials when he follows his nose to the cereal, but instead it was my ears following musical notes.
Lotsa photos after the jump.
The band played an energetic mix of dark discopunk that I’ve been missing since I saw Franz Ferdinand at Pianos for the first time about 5 years ago. The type where you dance but then stop just to watch in stoke-faceness. The highlight of their set was the lush “Sometime Around Midnight” which sounded like the sad song from your favorite 80s teen movie — which was fitting given the age of the crowd (teens, and those were were teens during the 80s movies).
After them were The Wonderful Spells from Boston, aka the most adorable indie band of brothers I’ve ever seen. If they never got off stage, i wouldnt have minded. The two harmonizing singers Jamie & Bo Moore pulled a lot from possible-influences like the Kinks, the Stones, The Who and Supergrass with vocals sometimes reminiscent of Hot Hot Heat. Being brothers, their abilities to harmonize delightfully is what indicates their Kinks influence, while their excellent cover of “The Kids Are Alright” would’ve made the Who proud. If I were to fantasize my version of the Jonas Brothers, they would be mod and they would be the Wonderful Spells.
By the time they were nearly done, the place was packed with kids losing their minds up front, dancing up a storm with their little arms in the air, proving that just maybe, the kids are alright.
Here’s some photos:
The Airborne Toxic Event:
Another photo of the ATE:
The ATE’s guitarist making some amazing riffs, I’m sure:
The ATE’s singer, guitarist, and… tambourine player/multi-instrumentalist:
The Wonderful Spells’ singer:
The Wonderful Spells’ drummer:
Another Spells’ singer:
And this dude had the best hair of the night, but it was hard to get a photo cause he spent the entire time making out with his ladyfriend against the bar/wall/people:
Rev and co at The Syndicate did a story about the show at Piano’s earlier in the day.
