The aptly-named Elephants From Neptune stepped up to the mic, with their main audience consisting of Carl – who is 42 years of age and has lived the bulk of his life at the zoo.

Zookeeper Erko Kiisel told "Ringvaade" that elephants can hear sounds at frequencies beyond human auditory capabilities, particularly the lower registers. "If there is enough bass and lower tones that can conduct through the ground, this should definitely catch his attention," he suggested, ahead of the gig-cum-experiment.

As a warm-up act, Carl was first played a recording of the song "Trammipark!!" by rapper Nublu.

Carl reacted by raising his tail to the right, which staff said was an act uncommon to his usual routine. "This meant something to him," commented Kätlin Kukebal, a nature education specialist at the zoo. Kiisel agreed, saying, "Yes, it did mean something."

Robert Linna, Elephants From Neptune's front-man, conceded he had never performed for animals, even elephants, before. "The main consideration is, of course, that we don't want to cause any distress or discomfort to the animal. On the other hand, there is some scientific curiosity at play: How does music affect elephants? This is all very interesting," Linna said.

Drummer Jon Mikiver announced some pre-performance anxiety. "I haven't been this anxious before a concert in a long time. I can see how intently he's watching us. We hope he has a bit of rock n' roll in him," he said.

Carl was also the first "person" to hear the band's latest single and so could give his approval on that too.

"Carl is quite a cool character. He will show if it's a thumbs up or thumbs down; or a trunk up or trunk down, rather – I don't know exactly how he will signal it," Linna added.

On the recommendations of zoologists, the experiment started at a low volume. As the band played harder, Carl demonstrated increasing interest in the assembled musicians, eventually moving his trunk and tail with a certain amount of energy.

"He started twirling his trunk a couple of times, which usually indicates aggression, but since he relaxed quickly after that, we believe it was just playful in this case. He seemed to have a positive or at least neutral impression," Erko Kiisel said of the elephantine jukebox jury of one.

Zookeeper Marika Hiob said: "I noticed that Carl liked the louder sounds. He also seems to appreciate noisier vehicles, if a small car passes by, pays it no attention, but if it's a large vehicle, out he comes from around the corner."

"It seemed that he didn't mind them playing here," Merike Pullonen, another zookeeper, added, hinting at a possible residency for the band.

The full "Ringvaade" slot is below.

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