As Elephants Are + Pixel Fix Host Mahatma

Derek Dashiell, another Pearshaped writer, predicted that this event would be ‘a loud and gregarious night’ - it is fair to say that the night delivered. The indie quartet who combined the skinny black jeans, retro sweaters, and boat shoes combined the likes of Coasts, Bombay Bicyle Club, and Little Comets, in a short, well-rehearsed, and tight show.

The boys from High Wycombe opened by facing the back of the stage, surrounding the drummer, and producing a big yet clean sound that was pretty infectious and hard not to engage with. From here on in the band felt right at home, combining excellent electronic guitar riffs with good distinctive backing vocals. The second number, War Cry, started with a pumping bass drum and nice vocals from the lead singer. The two electric guitars then joined the drummer, halting for the repetitive - almost chanting - of “War cry, war cry” and then rejoining for a big chorus. This chorus was excellent and left the audience to classically nod their heads in time with the drummer, signifying their approval. The band continued to go from strength to strength with the excellent tracks, Crystal and Went Wrong.

What was very commendable about the boys was their excellent live sound and good acoustics inside the Cavern. It would be very easy for the relatively inexperienced band to rush sound check and produce a less impressive, almost flat sound (as I have often seen). However, they took their time and were clear on what sound they wanted to produce - an excellent trait that will see them excel. The only disappointing part of the night was when there was a call for an encore, as everyone was felt wanting more after the final song, to which the lead singer reluctantly replied “We don’t have any more songs.” The band quickly recovered by replaying one of the previous numbers, but it would have been great to hear another song.

The band look set to continue to grow, through playing lots of gigs and developing their sound. I, for one, would definitely watch them again; I was impressed by both the band and how fitting the venue was.

In terms of support, Pixel Fix were very similar to As Elephants are in terms of sound, though slightly more electronic and less rocky. The lead singer was very engaging; he had an excellent stage presence and used the two different effect mics very well. The only critique of the sound was that it was slightly less full than As Elephants Are and the lead singer was slightly more slurred with his words. Overall though, these guys were also excellent. It was a very wise choice of Mahatma to have Pixel Fix to support as they warmed the crowd up excellently due to the semblances of sound and genre of music.