M/X – The Croft, Bristol – 05/11/2026

Who needs fireworks? Give me a dark room and a disco ball any night of the week.

M/X have earned the right to hand-pick their own support acts, so naturally this was a 100% Bristol bill, with local favourites Drenched and Who Killed Bunny? joining them as The Croft filled with excited gig-goers.

I was lucky enough to interview M/X before the show, gaining further insight into their excellent new EP Circle and only heightening my anticipation. By the time the lights went down, I was fully hyped for this one.

Drenched take to the stage looking as though they've stepped straight out of the video for Pink Leather, decked out in old-world attire that perfectly matches their cinematic sound. Their dream-pop shifts effortlessly between ethereal beauty and explosive intensity, always wrapped in a rich, immersive glow.

Beneath the warmth of the band's sweeping soundscapes lies something much darker. The vocals are steeped in vulnerability, delivering lyrics that feel both intimate and haunting. Live, Pink Leather is utterly colossal. Beginning with a delicate tenderness, it slowly gathers momentum, each layer adding fuel to the bonfire until it erupts into a towering velvet wall of sound.

They leave no doubt that they've earned a place on my ever-growing list of acts I can't wait to see again.

Who Killed Bunny? are back, proudly boasting a new single and video for Lover's Lie, a swooning, floating piece of dream pop with a gritty edge. The band walk a tightrope between fuzzy psychedelic rock and punk-infused energy, dipping their toes into a Pistols-esque attitude while also delivering the impassioned spoken-word track Hips, Lips & Mindless Sex.

They're a band unafraid to blur genres, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future. Catch them live at The Louisiana on 15th November. Go check them out.

Before we know it, it's M/X time. The band gather on stage for what looks like a group séance, huddled around drummer Mimi's kit.

I can see why they needed a moment of calm before the chaos.

Launching straight into tracks from new EP Circle, they're every bit as raucous and energetic as I'd hoped. The crowd are with them from the off, and opening with The Circle proves a masterstroke. It's a groove-laden kick in the face that instantly fills the floor, leaving the audience with little choice but to move.

As someone who's had the new EP on repeat, hearing The Circle and Saint Mary so early in the set feels like M/X coming out swinging. Add Stephen Graham Freestyle into the mix and they're building a set packed with non-stop firepower.

It's only right that they ease off the gas slightly with Level With Me, a song that hints at the band's boundless horizons and ability to bend genres to suit their needs. Even then, "slowing down" is relative. Live, the song takes on a bouncing energy of its own. The atmosphere in the room seems to elevate it into something else entirely.

They even slip in a playful & powerful LCD Soundsystem cover, tweaking the lyrics to "Bristol, I love you, but you're bringing me down."

Guitarist Liv jumps around as if an imaginary skipping rope is sweeping beneath her feet, getting nose-to-nose with the front row at every opportunity. Singer/bassist Max is intensely engaging, fully committed to every word that passes his snarling lips. They're all in this together.

In fact, we're all in this together. Family and friends fill the room, forming a circle pit-conga hybrid while the band demand the disco ball be switched on above them. Fractured flashes of red-light bounce around the room, illuminating sweat-drenched, grinning revellers. The surfers get surfing as the band keep rocking.

The band are incredibly tight, both musically and personally. Their bond is obvious, and that connection radiates from the stage.

They make you shake. They make you feel. They make you smile. And they rock your face off.

Unsurprisingly, they leave everything on the stage, collapsing together at the end of the set, completely spent, but knowing every drop of spilled sweat was worth it.

Having told me earlier that they're planning to lock themselves away and focus on new music, this feels like a very exciting time for M/X. If you haven't seen them yet, you need to change that.