The Residents to perform ‘Eskimo’ live for the first time at EXOTIKON 2025

Avant-garde pioneers The Residents are set to bring their landmark 1979 album Eskimo to the stage for the first time ever at EXOTIKON, a two-day celebration of mid-century exotica culture in Los Angeles. The historic performance will take place on Saturday, June 7th, 2025, at the Mayan Theater, marking a milestone moment for one of experimental music’s most enigmatic acts.

Eskimo was a radical and deeply conceptual work upon its release, fusing surreal sonic textures with a biting critique of cultural imperialism and colonial narratives. Using invented Inuit-inspired rituals, chants, and haunting sound collages, the album offered no lyrics or traditional song structures—only immersive storytelling through atmosphere and myth. Hailed by NME as “one of the most important albums ever made,” it has long stood as one of The Residents’ most acclaimed but elusive works—never performed live until now.

Presented by Peekaboo Gallery, EXOTIKON takes over the Mayan Theater June 7–8, immersing guests in a world of Tiki bars, surf jazz, outsider art, and retro-futurist wonder. The Residents’ performance will serve as the festival’s headlining act, closing out Day One following a set from surf noir ensemble Creepxotica. The experience continues at the legendary Clifton’s Pacific Seas with an afterparty worthy of music history in the making.

The performance will reimagine Eskimo with new theatrical elements, characters, and a narrative expansion—drawing from the original master recordings while exploring fresh artistic terrain. It’s not just a recreation, but a reinvention, deepening the mythology behind one of avant-garde’s most enduring works.

Day Two of the festival offers a full-scale celebration of exotica culture, including sets by Marty Lush & the Singapore Slingers, The Scimitars, and The Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, as well as a vintage marketplace, expert-led “XYMPOSIUMS,” and a Tiki bar crawl through Downtown LA.

Passes and add-ons for EXOTIKON are available now at exotikon.com.