Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Show Was An All Out Dance Party At Danforth Music Hall

"UMO! UMO! UMO!"

It's been a while since I've heard such sincere, excited chanting of a bands name after closing out a show. This is particularly impressive because let's be honest. We all know the encore is coming. But Unknown Mortal Orchestra fans at Danforth Music Hall were chanting as if the encore depended on it. It was awesome. And so was UMO.

Let's take a step back. The band stopped in Toronto on their tour in support of their new album Sex & Food (via Jagjaguwar on April 6, 2018). As we entered the hall the stage was aglow with a magenta light, illuminating a series of metal towers that housed rows of stacked plants.

UMO casually emerged from stage left, almost under the radar, but their set was anything but. 

Four songs in, during From the Sun (II, 2013), front man Ruban Nielson jumped off the stage while still playing his guitar, made his way to the back of the hall (while still playing his guitar), had a quick drink with the sound peeps (while still playing his guitar), exited the hall, reappeared in the balcony where he continued to jam, before finally making his way back to the stage. The group kept energy levels high with the perfect blend of songs from their discography including classics like So Good at Being in Trouble, Multi-Love (Multi-Love 2015), and new faves Hunnybee and Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays (Sex & Food, 2018).

By the end of the evening, the infectious fun of UMO was running through our veins and could still be felt well into the weekend. Get a taste of what you unfortunately missed in the gallery of images above.  

Unknown Mortal Orchestra's Setlist:
Ffunny Ffrends
Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
Necessary Evil
From the Sun
Ministry of Alienation
The Internet of Love (That Way)
So Good at Being in Trouble
Nerve Damage!
A God Called Hubris
Major League Chemicals
American Guilt
Not in Love We’re Just High
Multi-Love

Encore:
Chronos Feasts on His Children
If You’re Going to Break Yourself
Hunnybee
Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays
Can't Keep Checking My Phone
 

Words by: Karlie Hopf
Photography by: Steve St. Jean
**All photos © Beyond The Watch. Do not use or reproduce w/o permission**