Review: Yumi Zouma Gives It Hell in San Francisco
About two years ago on March 12, 2020, the members of Yumi Zouma stood backstage in Washington, DC before their first and only Truth or Consequences U.S. tour. They held each other as someone said, “let’s give it hell tonight.” Now, Yumi Zouma is currently embarking on their U.S. tour for their newest album, Present Tense. They played Tuesday night to a nearly sold-out crowd in The Independent in San Francisco, supported by indie-pop three-piece Beauty Queen.
Beauty Queen, fronted by lead woman Katie Iannitello, perfectly set the tone for the show. They led their set with upbeat selections, which the crowd showed energetic appreciation for. Nearing the end of their set, Iannitello tested out a few unreleased songs on the audience. “No more fast songs, even though you guys seem to like them,” she informed the crowd. “These are a little different.” She began to play a slow, groovy tune on her keyboard while she followed up with a cheeky “told ya!” to the crowd.
The San Francisco crowd for Yumi Zouma was a little older compared to the usual dream-pop crowd, but no less enthusiastic for the headliner. Waitresses from the bar weaved through the crowd, both taking drink orders and delivering them, allowing the crowd to stay congregated near the stage and making them instantly chatty. Many pockets of people seemed to be meeting up with friends for the first time in a while, bonding over their love for the band they were about to see. There is no barricade at The Independent, making the venue a bit more intimate.
On stage, white flowers wrapped around each microphone stand, with a neon sign reading “Yumi Zouma” overhead the drumset. When the members of the band finally came on stage, the modest crowd threw themselves into an uproar of cheers. They walked out one-by-one: lead singer Christie Simpson, adorned in a blue robe decorated with swans; guitarist Josh Burgess dressed in a smart twill suit with green Nikes, and guitarist Charlie Ryder, standing tall in an all-black fit; and lastly, drummer Olivia Campon, stunting in a black suit. Together, they all looked like a physical embodiment of their music: fresh, eclectic, and classic.
The band opened with “Southwark,” a popular and groovy track from Truth or Consequences. Since this was the band’s first tour back since the pandemic, it was their chance to celebrate both their 2020 album and its follow-up. The band brought out Andrew Keoghan, who played a lot of instrumentation on Present Tense, to play additional acoustic guitar and saxophone during “Where The Light Used To Lay” and other songs throughout the set. This was the first time Keoghan played with the band during this tour, and he continued to play Los Angeles with them in the following days.
“We wanted to make these west coast shows a little bit special,” Simpson shared with the audience. “We’re gonna play a song… this might be the third time we’ve played it. A special treat for you west coast honeys.” The band dived into “Of Me and You,” a disarming track off of Present Tense.
The band showed incredible chemistry while exuding their individual character on stage. Burgess orchestrates the stage presence of the band, moving as one with his guitar as he plays it. Simpson’s vocals shine in a live setting; her vocals are incredibly strong and confident, compared to the softness of her studio recordings. She animates the lyrics with her hands and her sways, as if narrating the lyrics as they roll off her tongue.
Yumi Zouma switched up their setlist from other dates for their San Francisco show, ending the night with “Mona Lisa” instead of their usual “Astral Projection.” They lightheartedly gave a spiel about the song’s inspiration drawing from an audiobook on Leonardo da Vinci, prefacing the song saying, “This one’s called Leonardo da Vinci’s audiobook, Chapter 7.” As one of the singles for the new album, the crowd seemed to know the song by heart, dancing to every beat. As the song came to a close and the band stepped off stage, the crowd began to cheer and wouldn’t quit until they played an encore.
Yumi Zouma returned to the stage to finish with “In The Eyes Of Our Love,” a fast and dancy number, followed by “The Brae,” a song off their 2014 EP. Each member couldn’t stop smiling during their set, realizing the full circle moment of playing live shows in this new year.
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