[ATTENDED: May 5, 2023] Yves Tumor
Yves Tumor had been on my list of artists I wanted to see live. So when they announced a show at Franklin Music Hall, I grabbed a ticket pretty quickly. I didn’t think it would sell out. In fact I thought that Franklin Music Hall would be too big a venue for them. I mean, had anyone even heard about them?
When I arrived (much earlier than I expected, thank you light traffic), there was hardly anyone in the parking areas that are usually packed. And the entrance was pretty swift. But when I got to the floor, it was surprisingly crowded. Not jam packed or anything, but I couldn’t get anywhere near the stage.
I also realized that this crowd was YOUNG. I’m usually one of the older people at a show, but this time the gap felt pretty large. That doesn’t bother me, because usually, the young hyperactive folks rush to the front and I hang out in the middle. But in this crowd everyone was jumping and bouncing and carrying on.
I’m still not sure how people have heard about Yves Tumor. My kids hadn’t and they have fingers on various pulses. I know them from NPR Music, which I think of as a slightly older crowd. But by the time Yves came on, the crowd was pretty packed in and ready to party.
I had heard that Yves Tumor’s show were must-see. Their earlier releases were challenging with samples and loops and unexpected diversions. The songs were spare with Tumor’s voice being one of the things that really held them together.
But on the newest record (and I’m guessing the previous EP), there’s a more glam rock feel to the album. Tumor’s vocals remain the same (which is good) but there are melodies and riffs galore.
Yves Tumor is a star. They own the stage with everyone following their every movement and step. Their microphone has some kind of cool attachment to it (I couldn’t see it from where I was, but it was like a wolf’s head facing them. They prowled the stage in leggings and short shorts. They wore a leather jacket and a shirt that simply said FUCK. Their hair was two-toned. They were beautiful.
The stage had industrial metal crates with lights permeating from the center. The lights and feel changed according to the mood and it was quite effective. The band was few in number but huge in sound. Gina Ramirez on bass and harmonious backup vocals; Yves Rothman on guitar, keyboard, and samples; Rhys Hastings on drums and lead guitarist Chris Greatti.
Greatti was a star himself, shredding like crazy and being very present as Yves walked around the stage–filling in front and center if Yves walked away and being there when Yves needed to hug someone.
The set was largely the new album, which makes sense. The music was excellent and the crowd was 100% behind it–jumping, singing and following Yves around the stage.
Seven songs in, Gina Ramirez, who had otherwise been pretty chill (compared to Yves and Greatti), started singing backing (and some lead) vocals on “Lovely Sewer.” her voice was fantastic and was a delightful surprise after only hearing Yves for the night.
They played a few older songs–several from the 2021 EP that I didn’t know. After “Sewer,” they played two songs from Safe in the Hands of Love, the album I know pretty well. These older songs sounded huge and fit in perfectly with the newer style.
Most of the new album was played out of order, but the trio of “Meteora Blues” “Interlude” and “Parody” flowed seamlessly like on the record. Which was pretty cool.
I don’t know what the big hits are from the new album but it’s pretty crazy that “Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood” which is amazingly catchy and a great show stopping moment.
Throughout the show, Yves’ voice was manipulated in various ways. And by the end of the show, they had climbed all over the stage including up into a kind of balcony that was on the left side of the stage. He had even jumped into the audience a few times. In “Operator” when the sampled chant of “be aggressive be be aggressive” started, (and played longer than on record), the crowd went suitably nuts.
Speaking of the crowd, it was surprisingly pushy. There was a guy near me who I was certain was trying to press into me because I hadn’t let his girlfriend in front of me earlier. He seemed really aggressive (or I’m paranoid). I didn’t really like the crush, so at the encore break I moved to the side of the crowd, which was actually 100% better. I could see far more easily and there weren’t people in my personal space.
Despite that, I still thought the show was great (although I did realize the age thing).
For the encore, Greatti, came out and started shredding and insane solo for a few minutes. It was wholly unnecessary (and slightly annoying as I was ready to go), but it worked well as a kind of reintroduction to Yves, who came out to sing two final songs. The new “Ebony Eye” led into the hugely popular “Kerosene!”
I guess a ton more people know about Yves Tumor than I do. And that makes me happy, as I hope they get even more successful.
- God Is a Circle ¥
- Echolalia ¥
- In Spite of War ¥
- Jackie ∝
- Gospel for a New Century ≅
- Fear Evil Like Fire ¥
- Lovely Sewer ¥
- Honesty ⊗
- Licking an Orchid ⊗
- Crushed Velvet ∝
- Meteora Blues ¥
- Interlude ¥
- Parody ¥
- Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood ¥
- Operator ¥
- Secrecy Is Incredibly Important to the Both of Them ∝
encore - Ebony Eye ¥
- Kerosene! ≅
¥ Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (2023)
∝ The Asymptotical World EP (2021)
≅ Heaven to a Tortured Mind (2020)
⊗ Safe in the Hands of Love (2018)
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