Radiohead Returns: A Brutal Bacchanal for the Apocalypse's Bards
It's been nearly a decade since Radiohead gifted us a new album, and over seven years since they graced a stage. During that time, the future they once sang about with such worry seems to have arrived at warp speed. Animal-borne diseases, invading armies, the threat of endless rain – all foretold in the lyrics of the ever-anxious Thom Yorke. But how has their comeback been?
Yorke's reputation as a prophet has grown with the band's legend, but if he's a genius (and the debate rages on, perhaps indefinitely), he's not alone in his brilliance. Despite Yorke's recent solo work, including collaborations with bandmate Jonny Greenwood in The Smile, fans have waited an eternity for the full five-piece to reunite.
Now, seemingly without fanfare or new music to promote, Radiohead has returned for short residencies in select European cities. Performing in the round, they use a projection screen that initially seems like a shield. But as it turns out, no protection is needed. This is no tentative return.
"Shell smashed, juices flowing," Yorke sings to open with 'Let Down'. This deep cut from OK Computer, a fan favorite, recently gained a new audience thanks to TikTok. It's gorgeous, weightless, and self-mocking. Yorke's dark humor might be as underrated as Kafka's. It offers a strange blend of hope and doubt, passed down from Generation X to Generation Z.
This time around, the vocals and Greenwood's unique guitar melodies are amplified by a powerful rhythm section. This sets the tone for the night. The top end sometimes suffers in larger arenas, but drummer Phil Selway, percussionist Clive Deamer, and Jonny's bassist brother Colin compensate with their forceful performances on tracks from their mid-to-late career, such as '2+2=5', 'Bloom', and 'Ful Stop'.
Greenwood has always been Radiohead's secret weapon, his playing ranging from soulful to brutal. His basslines have guided listeners through their most challenging studio work. Tonight's selections from Kid A – 'Everything In Its Right Place' and 'Idioteque' – complete their 25-year transition from icy soundscapes to crowd-pleasing anthems.
By '15 Step', even the upper levels are bouncing. Yorke reminds them that "it comes to us all," whether it's old age or death. Yorke, now almost 60, dances around the stage to 'The National Anthem' and its amazing bassline, which he wrote at 16.
Yorke has always watched the specters of aging performers and listened for the sound of legacy acts spinning their wheels. That's not Radiohead. Their fans are perhaps more demanding. Some might quibble about the lack of tracks from A Moon Shaped Pool or The Bends, although 'Fake Plastic Trees' explodes with more energy than its recorded version.
In the past, live performances showed Radiohead's relief at being out of the studio. Their energy tonight might mean something else, but the joy is undeniable. Yorke says little beyond "gracias." But here's where it gets controversial... Some feel he should have spoken out more in recent years. Others remember the nervous young man who seemed freaked out by the pace of progress. They still trust him to sing to us in this time of terminal velocity.
Setlist:
- Let Down
- 2 + 2 = 5
- Sit Down. Stand Up
- Bloom
- Lucky
- Ful Stop
- The Gloaming
- Myxomatosis
- No Surprises
- Videotape
- Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
- Everything in Its Right Place
- 15 Step
- The National Anthem
- Daydreaming
- A Wolf at the Door
- Bodysnatchers
- Idioteque
Encore:
- Fake Plastic Trees
- Subterranean Homesick Alien
- Paranoid Android
- How to Disappear Completely
- You and Whose Army?
- There There
- Karma Police
What are your thoughts on Radiohead's return? Do you agree with the setlist choices? Let us know in the comments!
