Tycho kicked off the release of their highly anticipated album Weather with a last minute performance in San Francisco on Tuesday night at the Independent. In a two-set show, the GRAMMY nominated ambient instrumental group first sent us down memory lane by weaving in a kaleidoscope of songs that span a decade of work from 2006 to 2016, including “Daydream”, “PBS”, “Montana”, “Horizon, and “Epoch”.
Then, following a 15-minute intermission, the group debuted their new LP, Weather, playing the entire new album from start to finish. For the first time, Tycho were joined on stage using a new type of musical instrument: the human voice.
Known for their natural, melodic soundscapes, Tycho presents an audiovisual dreamlike experience with a backdrop video projection of clouds, ocean waves, canyons and other natural imagery which sync perfectly to their mixture of atmospheric soundscapes and down tempo beats.
On stage, Tycho’s primary composer, songwriter, and producer, Scott Hansen is accompanied by long-time bandmates and collaborators Zac Brown (guitar/bass), Rory O’Connor (drums), and touring mate Billy Kim (guitar/bass/keyboard) as they return on an extensive world wide tour to present both old and new sounds.
“We love playing at the Independent, it’s one of our favorite venues to play at. San Francisco is our home,” Hansen tells the supportive and cheering crowd.
“We wanted this record to be really different. We wanted to kind of reset, get to a new center point, and work out from there. A big part of that is my good friend, Hannah Cottrell (Saint Sinner).” Dressed in all white, vocalist Cottrell takes center stage and adds an organic, yet ethereal quality that pushes the group towards a bold, but familiar direction of exploring their ongoing relationship with nature and the human experience.
In striking difference to Tycho’s first five LPs, the combination of Cottrell’s voice and Hansen’s genius songwriting explores a spectrum of human emotions, from the brightly toned “Pink & Blue” to the more melancholic “For How Long” that tugs at the heartstrings.
“I keep waiting on a moment, something to show me where the hope is. You keep on saying that you love me, but for how long?” Cottrell’s synth-like vocals is featured on 5 of the 8 songs of Weather, adding new human energy to the expansive list of Tycho’s work.
The group finishes the show with an encore of their most well-known titles, “A Walk”, “Awake”, and “Division”, before ending the night with gratitude, “We appreciate all the love and support. This is amazing, you guys made our first night really special. I love you all. I can’t thank you guys enough.”
SETLIST
First set
Daydream
Spectre
Source
Montana
Hours
PBS
Pip
Horizon
Epoch
2nd set
WEATHER
Easy
Pink & Blue
Japan
Skate
For How Long
No Stress
Weather
Encore
A Walk
Awake
Division
Starting September 6th, Tycho will embark on their Weather World Tour which will take them to legendary venues such as Australia’s Sydney Opera House, Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival, the Greek Theatre in both Los Angeles and Berkeley, and New York City’s SummerStage in Central Park.
Check out my photo gallery from the show below…
First Set
Weather
