Countless critics have attempted to distill Tumor’s sound into every genre from punk to alt-pop to experimental, yet none seem to capture the psychedelic, almost otherworldly expanse of their hypnotic productions. Where Tumor’s studio recordings are meticulously produced, their onstage performances lean into the visceral, pulsing energy at the heart of their music. The show at the Warfield started without a fuss, with Yves Tumor and their band launching directly into dissonant, propulsive “God is a Circle,” the lead track off of their latest album. The crowd responded immediately, with the first buzzing notes of the song snapping the simmer of pre-show anticipation into the unfettered, raucous delight that would propel the rest of the night. Tumor wasted no time with niceties, letting the setlist flow uninterrupted into “Echolalia” and “In Spite of War”.
The set list drew heavily from the new record, heftily titled “Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)”. Such a title is fitting for Tumor’s onstage persona: a swaggering, unapologetic artist who commanded the crowd with unwavering confidence. Clad in black studded leather and a raccoon tail, and sporting a microphone adorned with a silver wolf head, Tumor leans heavily into the vintage rock glamor of yore. It takes a skilled performer to meet such bravado with unpretentious vulnerability, yet Yves Tumor does just that. Every sweltering strut and pulsing guitar riff is met with an artistic legitimacy that roots Tumor’s performance in authenticity rather than caricature.
One of the night’s highlights was industrial “Operator,” which found Tumor standing on an elevated platform of mic stands and a pedal board. Their focused energy as they masterfully switched between microphones, twisting and distorting their voice engrossed the crowd in the live creative process.
After bringing the crowd to a fever pitch with “Secrecy is Incredibly Important for the Both of Them,” Tumor and the band customarily left the stage for the pre-encore suspense. The writhing mosh pit again erupted at the start of the encore, leading with atmospheric “Strawberry Privilege” and deliciously groovy “Ebony Eye”. The night’s closer was “Kerosene!”, one of Tumor’s most popular releases. From the moment the house lights dimmed until the last ringing notes of “Kerosene!” rang out, Yves Tumor proved again and again that they are exactly the breath of fresh, intoxicating air that music needs right now, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next.
Yves Tumor in San Francisco
- PHOTOS: Yves Tumor – San Francisco, CA – 5/23/23 - June 13, 2023
- PHOTOS: Shea Coulee – San Francisco – 3/31/23 - April 17, 2023
- PHOTOS: Maggie Rogers – San Francisco – 3/5/23 - March 21, 2023
