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Radiohead

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Description: The iconoclastic Oxford art-rock five-piece with latest album, In Rainbows.


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BBC Radiohead

By André Paine, Evening Standard  02.04.08
 
Thom Yorke

Frontman: Thom Yorke loses himself in the music

Radiohead

Intelligent rock: Radiohead combined accessible songs with highlights from OK Computer

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There was a revolutionary fervour surrounding the pay-what-you-want download of Radiohead’s comeback last year.

However, the band began 2008 with the CD version of In Rainbows at number one, they’ve just released an old-fashioned single in the shops and this 300-capacity show was for winners of a heavily promoted BBC competition. Which all seems like a fairly traditional approach to the music industry.

You still don’t really associate Radiohead’s art rock with the music institution that is Radio 2, though. So it was frankly bizarre to hear frontman Thom Yorke chatting to Steve Wright on his afternoon show after the non-stop oldies.

Nevertheless, the Radiohead at the BBC event was an enjoyable reintroduction to a band who have often seemed to prefer communicating with the world via ungrammatical web postings. It included a matinee gig for BBC 6 Music, several interviews and a show broadcast live on Radio 2 last night.

“It’s been a long day,” groaned Yorke during the gig finale in Broadcasting House. However draining the promotional duties, though, his band still provided a punchy performance of intelligent, intricate rock songs that few other acts could equal.

Host Mark Radcliffe may have joked about Radiohead’s “up-tempo party favourites”, but this was a generous set that focused on accessible guitar music rather than their more difficult electronic concoctions. The opening Bodysnatchers, one of several new songs, featured three grinding guitars and some virtuoso riffing by Jonny Greenwood, who hid behind his fringe.

Another new song, All I Need, was potentially a challenge for their live shows. But it built from a sparse arrangement into something majestic, with Yorke wailing as he pounded the piano and cymbals crashed.

His vocal also dominated on Nude and, as Yorke smiled to himself, he seemed genuinely lost in the sweeping music. This was clearly a band effort, though, with drummer Phil Selway powering the music and guitarist Ed O’Brien adding vocal harmonies.

House Of Cards was a refreshingly simple tune, probably written as a reaction to their more experimental work, while Reckoner was stripped-back and even funky.

Still, the highlights were undoubtedly the OK Computer songs: a relentless, fretting Airbag, the career high of Lucky, and a fine rendition of the elegiac album closer The Tourist.

Perhaps the seated venue made for a slightly polite audience, at least in the first half. But it was certainly a privilege to witness Radio-head on such fine form.

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It was the best Radiohead gig I have ever been to. Just brilliant!

- Ben, Horsham, West Sussex


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