OFFICIAL AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT HOMEPAGE

[Macpherson Brothers Music] [Members & Instruments] [Gigs] [Review] [Discography]

ATE, Grunt, He Dark Age at UQ Airborne Toxic Event were an alternative/industrial performance group. The most significant performances were in Brisbane, Australia during 1990 and 1991.

The group's name came from a chapter in "White Noise", a famous book by the American writer Don DeLillo.

Musical influences were: SPK, Laibach, Einstuerzende Neubauten, Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Throbbing Gristle, and many others.

Artistic influences were DADA. We had all read lots of film theory and William S Burroughs before deciding to form a band.

Each of us had been in other acts before this (The Pits, Birds Of Tin, MTTV, Xero), and were disenchanted with the contempory guitar-oriented music scene of the early 1990's.

We were totally sick of the formulaic direction electronic dance music was taking as well. We wanted to do something really different with samplers.

There was also a fairly popular "Performance Poetry" thing happening in Brisbane at the time. The Shamrock Hotel in Fortitude Valley had special "Poet's Nights" we'd go along to sometimes.

We used to meet at a Spring Hill flat each week. Drawing a "Big Picture" on butchers' paper helped us plan future performances. Each member would "brainstorm" the paper with things to do. Some of these drawings got very arty as the night progressed.

The neighbours hated our "Practice Night"....

The band liked to project Super-8 movies and slides onto the stage during the show to add to the visual performance. All the instruments were played live. No two performances were ever alike.

Unfortunately there were few photographs taken, and I don't have any. (Only some posters and handbills.)

Not many people could see the point of it all. You know how it is....

SoundWoo Airborne Toxic Event

SoundCountdown Airborne Toxic Event

Members & Instruments

ATE support EN Official members were:
  • Irena Luckus: Roland Jupiter 8 synth, guitar, voice
  • Peter Macpherson: Casio FZ1 sampler, guitar, voice
  • David Macpherson: Roland S-50 sampler, Tandy megaphone, voice
  • Maddy: Guitar, Roland SH101 synth, voice

One of the most unusual features of this outfit was a decision to play without any drums (real or electronic). This really annoyed some people (who just need a beat). You know?

Use of early model digital samplers (Roland S-50 and Casio FZ-1) allowed repetitious "loops" to provide some kind of rhythm when desired.

Instruments were swapped among the players as needed. Performance standards were pretty "slack" compared to more "rocking" bands most people are used to.

Occasionally pieces of metal were beaten during a performance. (Thanks Alex and Sativa.)

Snatches of obscure radio broadcasts were layered under the other sounds.

Synthesisers replaced traditional bass instruments as well. Vocals were heavily distorted by reverb/chorus/delay as desired. A megaphone helped too.

Despite the electronica, ATE was not a dance-oriented band, at all.

 BC Club program

Gigs

ATE at BC Club, QUT One early show was at the old 4ZZZ studios at University of Queensland. Also performing that night were He Dark Age and Grunt. This was a very interesting night for the few who ventured to it. Grunt made use of a number of home made musical instruments in their show.

The 4ZZZ Band Collective ran the B.C. Club at Queensland University of Technology. The Collective's main function was to keep radio station 4ZZZ FM supplied with local bands for its benefit performances. We joined the Collective, participated at most meetings, and played for them a few times.

Unfortunately the club at QUT was never very popular because it was some walking distance from Brisbane's main nightclub districts and public transport routes. The Collective never reached its potential, and broke-up after some internal disputes over membership rules, and rowdy behaviour at meetings. (Pretty funny to think about after all these years....)

ATE did several free outdoor shows for 4ZZZ, mostly at Albert Park. One memorable performance involved several "guest" audience members hitting various thick pieces of metal. The "rock-heads" present didn't like it much.

Burning The Sun cassette cover A live-to-air show on 4ZZZ's Demo Show was well received. The performance is captured on the B-side of the Prenatal cassette tape.

Other performances of note included one Thursday night at Sacrificial Virgins nightclub (Whispers) above The Roxy, in Brisbane's notorious Fortitude Valley. Hardly anyone was there. It was a disaster. The review was entertaining, at least.

A performance with Tall Dwarfs and Plug Uglys some place upstairs in Elizabeth Street in the City was well attended. Of course, most people were there to see the other acts. We got through the show ok.

ATE supported Einstuerzende Neubauten at their only Brisbane performance (at Metropolis Hotel, on 2 July 1991). Some of this show was captured on film, but might have been too dark for use. A few of the Goth types were interested in our act.

We also did the 1991 Brisbane Anarchist Society Ball at West End Migrant Centre. Our musical performance was at it's peak by this stage.

After a few other "minor" performances, including the Treasury Hotel, the excitement was gone....

The members all got real lives, and work. We still see each other socially when we can.

In 2006 Peter, David, and Maddy got together for a few one off gigs as The Pits. This was not ATE with drums.

On 7 March 2008 the band reformed to perform Woo at Brisbane's Institute of Modern Art.

Review by Ben Wilson

Entertainment with Airborne Toxic Event

Sacrificial Virgins Club, Fortitude Valley. Airborne? Yes- most of the evening was off the planet. Toxic? Yes- plenty of poison was being drunk and delivered. Event? Undoubtedly- there was human interaction, endeavour, disappointment, disatisfaction, challenge, and even malice.

Very few punters knew what the hell was happening in the early hours of a recent Friday morning in Whispers, when three teachers and one public servant, who go by the name Airborne Toxic Event hit the stage.

The environment was set for chaos: sleazy Valley venue, drunken punters, tanked band members attempting to be avant garde in front of a crowd of Brisso dopes....

ATE with Tall Dwarfs and Plug Uglies

A recipe for deconstruction and disaster.

Setting up their gear, the band ran into all sorts of trouble, partly because of their hi-tech equipment, partly because they were three quarters pissed and couldn't find several vital pieces-the sort of professionalism you expect when you pay $2 cover charge.

Regretably, the accompanying film/backdrop of the rise of the Hitler Youth stuffed up, so a slide show of Russian Cosmonauts graced the stage instead.

More regretable, however, was the inimitable Bris audience, which was more interested in listening to the DJ's decade-old New Order classics, and wasn't ready or willing to be deconstructed by the sounds which were to follow.

The event was beyond description. It was bad, of course. But so are Blue Poles, Russell Cooper, and the Multi Function Polis. So surely there's plenty of room for this shit, especially when it's art.

Some of the punters were violently disappointed that they couldn't gyrate their taut little bods to the non-infectious beat of ATE's music, featuring 39c Woolies' toy trumpets, portable megaphones, tape loops of music, and repetitive Casio synth tunes. Clearly they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or, as band member Maddy explained, as he poked two fingers into the eyes of one whinging Gothic throwback, "Some people are really blind."

So next time you need deconstructing, or a really bad time, catch ATE live. You'll be so glad you did.

Discography

CDs

Audio Cassettes

Prenatal cover
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Information provided by David Macpherson
Brisbane, Australia