More about: Yumi Zouma

It’s a Tuesday night at Rough Trade East in Shoreditch. Scattered all over the walls are displays of books and vinyl’s that denim-clad music fans muster over whilst waiting for the gig to start. Large posters for Kojey Radical and The War On Drugs new albums look over the crowd but no one is here for them tonight. Instead, just after 7, after a few scatter in and out of the backstage area, it’s time to hear Yumi Zouma’s new album, Present Tense. 

A large disco ball in the corner of the room lights up the ceiling with romantic speckles of funk as the band take to the stage in an eruption of applause. All of them are dressed in the extremity of different fashion memos and they make the crowd feel immediately welcome and part of something special as it is announced by singer, Christie Simpson, that we are witnessing the first performance the band has done together in two years. 

With that, the show starts, and we are all subject to what can only be described as dream pop at its absolute peak. Considering it has been so long since the band performed together, you have to admire just how airtight they sound. The music combines dreamy guitar riffs with perfect harmonies to create an atmosphere that everyone in the crowd seemed more than happy to live in. 

Singers go back and forth with call and response type lyrics as the music accompanying as much is sweet and melodic. The whole show sounds almost cloudlike in its effortless beauty. 

Yumi Zouma played through a lot of the new songs they have released recently such as ‘Where The Light Used To Lay’, ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘Astral Projection’ (which has just been released this morning at the time of writing). The consistency within these tracks shows the kind of vibe the band is going for and are a great advert for the new album, which comes out on Friday 18th March. 

Another thing that makes Yumi Zouma such a treat to watch is not only the fact their music is top tier but also because of the natural chemistry and charisma the band seem to have. As guitarist and singer Josh Burgess makes comments like “what the fuck is a year anymore” and apologises for an ill-fated covid joke he made at the same venue almost two years ago to the day, the band and audience genuinely laugh and it adds another layer to the show as it’s clear they genuinely love being on stage and playing music together. 

The band stuck around to sign things after the show and were happy to meet and talk to fans as they did. The whole evening was one of great music and fun personalities coming together to give people an exciting glimpse into what will most likely be one of the best dream pop albums of the year. 

See photos of the night by Katie McLellan-Salisbury:

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More about: Yumi Zouma