After more than four decades of speculation, rumor, and myth, avant-garde legends The Residents will present the first-ever full live performance of their seminal 1979 album Eskimo on Saturday, June 7, at the historic Mayan Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. The once-in-a-lifetime event will serve as the headlining centerpiece of Exotikon, an immersive two-day festival celebrating the wild, weird, and wonderful world of mid-century exotica culture.
Originally released at the height of punk’s rise, Eskimo marked a radical left turn — not just for The Residents, but for the entire trajectory of experimental music. Eschewing lyrics and genre conventions in favor of fictional anthropology, the album constructs a surreal sonic universe inspired by imaginary Inuit rituals, frozen landscapes, and absurd cultural myths. Eskimo critiques Western imperialism and cultural exploitation not through traditional protest songs, but through hypnotic drones, bone-chilling chants, and grinding sound collages. It is part satire, part sound sculpture, and wholly unlike anything before or since.
Critics at the time recognized the magnitude of the achievement. “I’m not sure quite how to convey the magnitude of Eskimo,” wrote Andy Gill. “What I am sure of is that it’s without doubt one of the most important albums ever made.” Long considered one of The Residents’ most conceptually daring and sonically intricate works, the album has remained unperformed — until now.
Reimagined with reverence and deconstruction, this first-ever performance will draw from the original master recordings while introducing new characters, stories, and staged elements, expanding the mythology that has made Eskimo a cornerstone of avant-garde music.
Exotikon takes place June 7 and 8, at the Mayan Theater. Presented by Peekaboo Gallery, Exotikon celebrates the retro-futurist subcultures of the 1950s–1970s: Tiki escapism, lounge, surf, exotica, psychedelic jazz, and outsider performance art. Guests will find themselves enveloped in a curated wonderland of immersive theater, boutique shopping, esoteric symposia, handcrafted cocktails, and mythological vibes. The Residents’ performance will cap off Day 1 of the festival, following an opening set by the hypnotic orchestral surf ensemble Creepxotica. The night continues with a takeover of the iconic Clifton’s Pacific Seas Tiki bar, where festivalgoers can raise a volcano bowl in celebration of music history being made.
Day 2 turns the Mayan into a full-scale carnival of exotica culture, with performances by Marty Lush & the Singapore Slingers, The Scimitars and The Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, alongside a 25+ vendor vintage marketplace, a Tiki bar crawl, and Exotikon’s signature Xymposiums — featuring expert talks on rum, exotica, and the 100-year history of the Mayan Theater. Passes and add-ons are available now HERE.
The long-awaited debut of Eskimo live arrives at a moment of creative resurgence for The Residents. In February, the band released their latest album Doctor Dark — a genre-defying modern opera described as one of their most ambitious works to date. Blending heavy metal, classical orchestration, and avant-garde horror, Doctor Dark plunges listeners into a surreal courtroom drama inspired by real-life tragedy and national hysteria. Conducted and orchestrated by Edwin Outwater (San Francisco Conservatory of Music), the album has been praised for its unnerving beauty and experimental depth.
The live performance of Eskimo at Exotikon will also serve as the launch of The Residents’ forthcoming Eskimo Tour, taking the album on the road for the first time in their five-decade career. For a band that claims to have no members, The Residents have remained shockingly consistent for over 50 years. Their influence is wide, their identity elusive, and their art immortal. And this June, the myth of Eskimo becomes a reality.
Get more information at The Residents’ website, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
