Yves Tumor @ The Garage, Glasgow, 6 Mar

Yves Tumor's about-turn towards rock stardom is almost complete, and they've got the songs, flair and hair to prove it

Live Review by Lewis Wade | 08 Mar 2022
  • Yves Tumor

October and the Eyes open things up with an air of drama that doesn't relent all night. Mini leather jackets, spandex, fishnets, sheer everything, it's all of a piece as October wails, shrieks and generally gets about the stage. The Eyes hammer every note like industrial rockers with a penchant for neon over shadows. Special shout-out to the guy playing what looks like Prince's fantastical custom-guitar, except played with a bow to make some grinding dissonance. And it had a cymbal on top!

Showmanship is already front and centre, but Yves Tumor takes it to another level. On record, they're clearly a studio tinkerer, taking care to create mini masterpieces that sound heavily produced with every note carefully selected. Live, it's nothing but visceral thrills and glam-rock posturing. And it works gloriously.

Tumor has come a long way from the dark, shadowy collage-ambient of Serpent Music, especially on their two excellent recent releases, Heaven to a Tortured Mind and last year's The Asymptotical World EP. This turn towards glam and the trappings of classic rock was a wild left-turn, perfectly executed, and it's clear from the setlist and crowd reactions that it was Heaven... which made a lot of people take notice (not to mention that this sold-out show was upgraded twice). There's nothing pre-2018 tonight, and even the few scattered cuts from Safe in the Hands of Love get a surprisingly muted response (even a certified banger like Noid!).


Image: Yves Tumor by Marilena Vlachopoulou

Tumor spends at least half the show at the barrier, singing directly into the crowd and hyping everyone up. Otherwise, they're twisting and preening around the stage, taking all the excesses we've come to associate with rock and making them seem fresh purely by virtue of their charisma. Well, that and a ridiculously tight backing band who also refuse to let the energy flag for a second (the guitarist clearly has some Hendrix delusions, including crowd-surfing while playing, but damn if they don't pull it off).

Kerosene! and Gospel for a New Century sound brilliant, but even the newest songs like Jackie and Secrecy is Incredibly Important to Both of Them have the crowd singing along. Tumor's voice can pummel unadorned, but a little added reverb and manipulation gives it an eerie edge, a reminder of their avant beginnings amid what is, on the surface, essentially an old school rock show.

It might have been due to a curfew, but one gripe is that tonight's set is only an hour including encore, with the ten minutes preceding the beginning just a smoke machine and some noise. However, the intensity, quality and sheer spectacle more than make up for it. If you need a reminder that rock music can still feel innovative – go see Yves Tumor.

http://yves-tumor.com