Avant-garde pioneers The Residents are set to break new ground once again, announcing the first-ever full live performance of their groundbreaking 1979 album Eskimo. The historic event will take place on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at the Mayan Theater in Downtown Los Angeles as the headline act for EXOTIKON, a two-day immersive festival celebrating mid-century exotica culture.
For over four decades, Eskimo has loomed large in experimental music circles—shrouded in mystery and myth, long considered too complex and abstract for the stage. Known for its fictional take on Inuit culture, the album abandoned traditional song structures in favor of surreal soundscapes and anthropological satire, combining icy drones, guttural chants, and bone-rattling noise collages into one of the most ambitious concept albums of the 20th century.
Now, The Residents are bringing it to life—reimagined for the stage with new characters, theatrical storytelling, and expanded sonic elements drawn from the original master tapes. The performance marks a long-awaited moment for fans, critics, and collectors alike. “It’s without doubt one of the most important albums ever made,” wrote Andy Gill in NMEupon the album’s release, and this event finally gives Eskimo the live platform it has long deserved.
Part of the broader EXOTIKON experience presented by Peekaboo Gallery, the performance caps off the festival’s first night, which also features an opening set by orchestral surf ensemble CREEPXOTICA and a tiki takeover afterparty at Clifton’s Pacific Seas. Day Two of the festival transforms the Mayan into an exotic playground with live acts including Marty Lush & the Singapore Slingers and The Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, alongside tiki bar crawls, symposia, and a retro marketplace.
The Eskimo live debut comes as The Residents continue a creative renaissance, following the release of Doctor Dark, a sprawling, genre-defying opera praised for its heavy theatricality and experimental depth. With Eskimo poised for a tour and new audiences discovering their work, 2025 is shaping up to be a landmark year in the band’s five-decade legacy.
Tickets and more information for EXOTIKON and The Residents’ performance are available now at exotikon.com.