Share

Ruban Nielson and Unknown Mortal Orchestra returned with new album Sex & Food on April 6 via Jagjaguwar. Their sound continues to evolve into a fresh-faced extension of many genres such as rock, r&b, soul and electronic. It’s amazing how he’s been able to stay true to himself while still venue new avenues to take their ever-expanding sound palette.

On April 25 they kicked off the first of their two-night run at Brooklyn Steel, featuring their biggest stage production yet. The stage was all decked out with rugs, shelves of plants, wine, chairs and even a turntable. This setup felt like Nielson’s very own cozy living room as if he was taking us back in time to when he built the tracks he was laying down for us from scratch. This was a much different experience than the last time I saw them when they played a free show at Summerstage NYC in the rain.

He, along with longtime bassist Jake Portrait, drummer (and Ruban’s brother) Kody Nielson, and keyboardist Thomas Mabus, effortlessly gave these new tracks an extra soulful spin and spiced up older favorites such as “Multi-Love,” “So Good at Being in Trouble,” and “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone,” to better integrate it into the setlist. The band was battling some sound issues throughout the night but still gave a hell of a performance and really raised the bar when it came to the light show and overall production value.

Find a full set of photos from the performance posted below, along with the setlist.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra Setlist:

1. Ffunny Ffrends
2. Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
3. Necessary Evil
4. From the Sun
5. Ministry of Alienation
6. The Internet of Love (That Way)
7. So Good at Being in Trouble
8. Nerve Damage!
9. A God Called Hubris
10. Major League Chemicals
11. American Guilt
12. Not in Love We’re Just High
13. Multi-Love

Encore:

14. Chronos Feasts on His Children
15. If You’re Going to Break Yourself
16. Hunnybee
17. Everyone Acts Crazy Nowadays
18. Can’t Keep Checking My Phone


Join the conversation