Photo Credits: Paul Kooiker
It is a blisteringly cold, dark evening in Kentish Town and a luminous full moon is out. The full moon’s bright, supernatural appearance feels especially dedicated to Yves Tumor’s show tonight. The O2 venue is warm and filled with the chatter of over two thousand excited voices patiently waiting for the show to commence.
Before Yves is on stage, a few interesting acts open for them including it-girl, fashion designer Mowalola and electronic duo Nation.
Mowalola’s performance was quite enigmatic which adds to her avant garde approach to fashion and music. She is an edgy, badass artist whose influences come from 90s rave culture and cybercore trends which clearly inspire her sound.
Photo Credits: Henrik Schneider
Unfortunately, Nation’s performance was not noteworthy. Their music mirrors the distorted, alternative pop and rap sounds that were originally shaped by Ecco2K and Bladee which made their set feel quite prosaic.
The last opening act and most exciting out of all three was Ecco2K, an artist well known among cloud rap fans and alternative pop lovers. Ecco2K is recognised for his experimental relationship with music and being a member of Drain Gang. His performance was really experiential. Throughout the set, he was carving a soundscape in front of the audience by DJing for himself and stacking vocals – it felt like everyone was a part of a studio session.
After Ecco2k’s performance, the previous set was being taken down and the set designers began changing the stage and placing metal boxes with stuttering lights as the backdrop – which made the venue feel like a nightclub.
Twenty minutes later once everything was set up, Yves emerges from the shadows alongside their band (a bassist, guitarist, drummer and keyboard player) in white face paint, a helmet, and black bodysuit with a white jacket draped over them. Their arrival is punctuated by guitar riffs and deep, percussive sounds and abrasive, metal-like screeches. Suddenly, the lights begin flashing in accordance with the riffs played by the guitarist and rhythmic drum patterns. Yves’ mesmerising vocals fill the room and everyone is singing each lyric back to them. Tracks like “God is a Circle”, “Echolalia”, and “In Spite of War” are played.
Towards the end of the show, Yves picks up their electric guitar and plays a thrilling solo to “Secrecy Is Incredibly Important To Me.” Their entire performance was hypnotic and indicative of a modern day rockstar, the crowd was in complete adoration of Yves. They are a musician who is very mysterious yet able to attract large crowds without giving too much of themselves away. The music as well as the mystery of Yves has led to an appreciation of their hard work and superlative artistry.
Yves’ music typically explores identity, love, and the impermanence of life which is hauntingly beautiful. Their evocative performance throughout the show demonstrated how incomparable they are. From the start to the end “To Spite Or Not To Spite” was grand, cinematic, and unforgettable. Yves is truly one of a kind and needs to be seen by everyone at least once.
