We went to see The Airborne Toxic Event at The Opera House in Toronto last night and if you've heard either of their albums or have ever seen them peform live you will probably be completely unsurprised to hear that they were amazing. Lyrically the band floor me by being so intelligent, honest, energetic and raw that sometimes it's hard to know whether to sob, punch the air or just dance because the Airborne Toxic Event are equally impressive musically. The title track from their second CD, All At Once, makes me want to grab tight to the moment and never let go. Innocence tears me to shreds. The first verse or so of Gasoline is like a YA novel I'd kill to read and their cover of Book of Love is a slice of heaven.

The Airborne Toxic Event's debut album is hands down the best album I've heard in a decade and I'm loving the hell out of their sophmore CD, All At Once, too. However, I have to admit that psychologically I'm now in the confusing state where I wish them all the success they deserve (aka world domination!) but am simultaneously dreading the time where I'll no longer be able to catch them at intimate venues like The Opera House.

Unfortunately, there aren't any videos of the Toronto gig up to share at the moment but here's a clip of them playing the title track from their new CD live in Washington last year:

The band singing Sometime Around Midnight on David Letterman in 2009 (incidentally they're going to be on the show again on the 20th and Gossip Girl on May 16th):

And playing Numb live in Manchester in 2010:

You can also read my previous ravings about the band here, September 5, 2008, where you'll find my two Airborne Toxic Event favourites, Innocence and Gasoline, embedded. Here's a link to the shows remaining on their current tour. Pick up tickets if you can, trust me.