Dumbo Gets Mad: a night at Supersonic

Supersonic, a live music venue in Bastille, opens their doors and offers their stage to psych-pop Italian band for a night.

The stage was set. In the background, one of those famous Tame Impala songs played while people began to pile into the bar, ready for the third band of the night to begin. Located in Bastille, Supersonic, whose name was apparently inspired by the Oasis song, is a live music venue for up and coming international and local bands. Open everyday of the week, with the exception of some Sundays, Supersonic has always aimed to invite small bands, rather than the big names of the music industry, and give those lesser known artists the opportunity to make a name for themselves. With a wide variety of genres, the bar has a specific calendar that lets you know what the ‘vibe’ of the night will be. While Supersonic is mostly known for its preference for post-punk bands, they wish to cater their venue to everyone – from punk rockers to mellow indie tunes. Some of the music genres that appear in their calendars are noise rock, garage, psychedelic pop, shoegaze and synth pop to mention but a few. Although usually the warmth of my bed is too much to resist on a Monday night, upon hearing that Italian band Dumbo Gets Mad, which I had discovered at the beginning of the year, were playing at Supersonic I simply could not refuse.

Alongside two other bands who were invited to play for PsychPop night, La Mirastella and Quantum Quantum, Dumbo Gets Mad played about nine to ten of their songs for the last set. The band, which began with solely two people but has recently been expanded to five, have been around for a while now but have just recently started to gather momentum. Since their 2011 debut LP Elephants at the Door, the band has grown not only in fans but in sound. Their intention since their first album has been to mix a psychedelic experience into their songs and, in a way, construct a sort of atmosphere that transports you all the way from your reality into the fantasy world they have created. Although I do find myself listening to their songs on repeat, I must admit I was at times a bit disappointed by their performance; it left me wanting more. On one of their most known songs, “Indian Food”, the singing was pitchy and the backup music out of sync. However, the instrumental parts where a guitar and bass solo came in, were absolutely exquisite. Arguably, one of the best parts of their performance.

Putting aside sporadic microphone feedback and some lagging in the vocals, I very much enjoyed the concert and have to admit I would see them live again if given the chance. Dumbo Gets Mad is a great experimental band that could teach other beginner musicians how to play around with music and sound instead of pursuing the technical route and sticking to a formula. The Italian band, although they lack something in their live performances, have an undeniable charm to them that makes us forget about any error.