The Smile is the new brainchild of Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and acclaimed drummer Tom Skinner. With their debut album well received by an adoring and loyal fanbase the trio have embarked on their first European tour, the UK shows ending here tonight in Manchester.
As Yorke and co approach the stage to a wall of applause that drowns out Cillian Murphy’s pre-recorded rendition of William Blake's poem The Smile they waste no time bursting into album opener The Same, a track that has all the touchstones of a Radiohead song. Tender lyrics with undertones of politically charged themes. As obvious as it is that the majority of the crowd's attention and adoration is directed towards Thom and Jonny, new kid on the block Skinner doesn’t take long to shine as he delivers some seriously emphatic rhythm on The Opposite.
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The band's punk rock track, You Will Never Work in Television Again, presents somewhat as a middle finger and generates an overwhelming sense of energy. It’s evident for all to see that Thom is having a good time tonight.
Pulling mischievous faces to the crowd, baiting them to chant along in parts. This is a boy with all of his toys.
Thin Thing and A Hairdryer deliver a masterclass in effortless restraint with both tracks on the brink of collapsing into chaos. The band walk a fine line between being fully in control but not afraid to be swept up in their creation and they do it impeccably.
Yorke’s vocals are incredible, the best in years, from gnashing like a punk rocker to draping sorrowful tones over politically sharp yet somewhat ambiguous lyrics that leave the audience asking “is he saying what I think he is?”
Throughout the show all three performers take turns on multiple instruments, which momentarily includes Greenwood on a harp. The grooviest moment of the night kicks in when Thom picks up his bass for The Smoke, a real earworm that the crowd are helpless to hum and bop along to.
The band end the show having delivered all of their released material tonight, plus a brace of new tracks that begs the question, is there more to come from The Smile?
Setlist
The Same
The Opposite
You Will Never Work in Television Again
Pana-vision
The Smoke
Speech Bubbles
Thin Thing
Bodies Laughing
Open the Floodgates
Free in the Knowledge
A Hairdryer
Waving a White Flag
We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings
Skrting on the Surface
Encore
Just Eyes and Mouth
Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses
