Gig review: FORTY ELEPHANT GANG – Harwell Village Hall, February 20 2026

February 21st, 2026 by jason

First gig of the 2026 season of gigs hosted and promoted by Big Ginger Tom Music, which includes a sold out show by Seth Lakeman in the autumn and the Urban Folk Quartet in May.

Support act is Warwickshire based Lauren South, who has a soothing, melodic vocal not unlike Kitty Macfarlane, and she plays acoustic guitar, fiddle and a shruti box (or haunted briefcase as one of her fellow musicians nicknamed it!).

Highlights were ‘The Mermaid and the Swimming Lad’, the gentle ‘Tiny Boat’ and the set closer of her take on ‘Sweet Nightingale’, which gave the audience a chance to test their vocal chords!

Impressive opening set and another artist to keep an eye and ear out for new music and gigs.

Last saw the Forty Elephant Gang at this same venue back in 2022 and thoroughly enjoyed that gig. This time around the Forty Elephant Gang still features Andrew White (vocals, guitar), Sean Mannion (mandolin, backing vocals) and James Bachmann (guitar, backing vocals), with the addition of two new members Frazor Twyman on bass and Martin Moore on drums, although the latter was away in Scotland with his wife due to a double booking, or as the band more accurately said they are not so good at admin!

Opening with the uptempo ‘Light On Water’ the set was off to a good start, closely followed by ’1994′ (although there was some discussion on stage what the actually song title was, ranging from 1992 to 90′s), a song which tips a musical hat to the band’s indie sound.

Tonight’s gig was labelled a single launch for their latest single, ‘Fever Dreams’, which could be a look into one (or possibly all?!) of a band member’s fever dreams. A dream featuring Elvis jamming with Zeus and Odin…nothing unusual then!

‘Joan of Arc’ is another favourite that gets an airing and as Andrew White said in his introduction it’s not based on the patron saint of France, but instead on the Joan of Arc in the film ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’.

The first set ended with one of my favourite songs by the band, ‘Songs of Praise’. There can’t be many gigs where you see a guitar and mandolin duel during a song’s solo. That’s one thing Forty Elephant Gang have in abundance, talent.

After an interval and a Diet Coke break, the band started their second set with ‘Magpies’, a song that brings to mind the glorious harmonies of the likes of Crosby, Stills & Nash and Simon & Garfunkel.

The first set was full of great songs and the second set didn’t disappoint with ‘Fun While It Lasted’, the Lockdown inspired ‘Miss You’ and the haunting, stripped back blues of ‘Hollow Man Blues’.

They finished the evening with a rousing ‘Hands Out Your Pockets’, complete with further audience participation clapping along.

Forty Elephant Gang are one of the finest live bands this reviewer has seen & heard in over forty odd years of gig going. It is a mix of their music, singing, playing and the fact they seem to have so much joy and fun performing their songs. Go see them live if ever they play near you.

Review by Jason Ritchie

Photos by Duncan Chappell

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Josh Taerk - Sunday Session - 8 March 2026

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Power Plays w/c 16 February 2026

THE ANCIENT UNKNOWN Separated (indie)
LIZZIE REID Sweet Relief (indie)
THE HARBOURS Wide Awake (indie)
ARGOVIA Ebb & Flow (Presagio Records)
XO SOUNDTRACK Talk About Me (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 9 February 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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