Tourist @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 9/23/2017

UK based songwriter/electronic musician, William Phillips hit the road with Bob Moses and Bonobo under his stage name, Tourist this month. His three show run with them brought him to The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on September 23rd. 

Tourist @ The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 9/23/2017
photo by Nikki DeMartini

The 30 year old Grammy award winning producer/composer was the first of the three acts that night with his set starting promptly at 7:30. A decent crowd was there and continued to gather as romantically hypnotic melodies poured from the stage. Under the colorful beams of light that swirled around him , it was quite mezmorizing to watch him work. Behind a large table you couldn't see all the buttons and monitors he was using to make the music that then floated through the huge auditorium, but you could see that he was busy. Busy but calm and that calmness transfused to a quiet dance-party on the floor in front of him. 

His music is complex and emotionally fueled, as heard on "For Sarah" the instrumental number off U, his one LP which was released last year.  With smooth transitions, easy build-ups and flirty breakdowns he masterfully mixes a light sound. Tourist's electronica doesn't weigh you down with heavy hooks and deep beat drops like some other electronic artists. Tourist is soft but not too soft and definitely full of heart. It's the closest thing to pure electro-pop I've come across. 

Tourist @ The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 9/23/2017
photo by Nikki DeMartini

His stage presence wasn't too lively which is pretty par for the course being that there is only so much a "DJ" can do at a live show, really. But he did stop a couple of times to greet the audience and thank Bob Moses and Bonobo. His politeness added to the light-hearted vibe mounting in the dark venue and it made me like him more which in turn made me enjoy his music more. 

He didn't end his set with his Summer time single, "We Stayed Up All Night" but rather played it second to last and then, just like that Bob Moses was up next. 

Tourist's tour with Bonobo ended a couple days later at The Greek Theater in LA on September 27th but Bonobo will keep rolling through the states in October and November. 

Tourist @ The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 9/23/2017
photo by Nikki DeMartini