The last time I saw The Airborne Toxic Event it was during a torrential downpour on the last day of Osheaga 2012. They soldiered on, not grumbling at all. Mid-set, front man Mikel Jollett let out a half-hearted plea for some sunshine and lo and behold the clouds parted and the sky was flooded with light. It was eerie.
Sound a bit melodramatic? Perhaps. Melodramatic isn’t TATE’s style. They are all about the straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll with a hell of a lot of charm and great hooks. They do like to climb though. Climbing onto the drum risers, onto one another’s shoulders, and at one point Jollett was 25 feet high, scaling the large amp stacks at The Danforth Music Hall. Maybe not melodarama, but dramatic nonetheless.
