Photo: Abi Ismail
Words: Georgina Daniels
There was an elephant in the room at The Slaughtered Lamb Friday night, appearing in the form of Indonesian Indie-Pop band Elephant Kind. Predictable and obvious jokes aside, this band was anything but.
Warming up the expectant crowd was Joshua Luke Smith, who’s winding spoken words sat atop a tight groove. He led a crowd-involved chant “I feel so liberated”, taken from his latest song aptly named “Liberated” - check him out, you will not be disappointed with what you find.
Having just embarked on a five-night tour beginning in Brum, and ending with a sold out London crowd, Bam, Bayu and Kevin of Elephant Kind are forging a path rooted in expansion and endless creativity, and are truly on their way to cracking the music industry nut. Boasting dancy vibes and buckets of charisma, it isn’t hard to see why they’re making waves, as the crowd settled in to bopping along to spacey synths and fun-filled drums.
Photo: Abi Ismail
Opening with “Follow Through”, the room quickly moved with the flow of the feel-good beats. Other stand out tracks were “It Meant Nothing”and “Love As”, which was released earlier in the year. The set was vastly made up of unreleased tracks, with a couple of covers thrown in for good measure. The room erupted for Bam’s hypnotic renditions of Kylie Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Outta My Head” and “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer. It brought the crowd closer together and fit the tone of the band’s own discography so well.
Bam has crafted insightful melodies interwoven with honest life-experiences, and his voice is a unique blend of soft yet commanding confidence. He was able to completely entrance the crowd with an unwavering stage presence. Together with the drums and the bass from Bayu and Kevin, the trio entertain messages of inspiration and hope in every area of their creative spaces. Positive, uplifting, inspiring are all words that float very much on the surface for them, and for drummer Bayu, who cites Dave Grohl as a driving inspiration, these powerful emotions translate seamlessly into his style of drumming. Citing Tame Impala as a major influence, bassist Kevin shares more than just twinning his name with Kevin Parker, by exploring the deepest depths of satisfying bass licks, and tickling the full range of frequencies.
Photo: Abi Ismail
Elephant Kind have found their niche and stuck very closely to the conventions of this particular genre, which could be their continued success or an eventual road block further down the line. Hopefully experimenting in the studio will bring out a new side for them to delve into.
The songs that drive Elephant Kind are solid, meaningful and full of hope. They are sure to be a standout breakthrough artist in the coming months. For fans of Tame Impala, Michael Jackson, the XX and Franz Ferdinand, add Elephant Kind to your playlist rotations.
Catch them performing at Paper Dress Vintage on the 24th November and see for yourself.
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