Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, played a second sold-out night at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in support of his third solo album, Anima.
Yorke’s solo work goes beyond experimental. Envision the best of Radiohead, mixed with electronic goodness and then darkly weaved into a styling that would please EDM fans—and perhaps make New Order jealous.
Yorke’s bottomless rhythms make one want to rave. He bounded from keyboards to guitar to electronic doodads, turning switches and knobs to summon beats and bass—and wow his followers. Yorke was clearly enjoying himself, interacting with the audience via eye contact and the gleeful grin of a musician clearly having a ball.
The set list included “Two Feet off the Ground,” “Runwayaway,” “Has Ended,” “Impossible Knots” and the dance-y “Black Swan.” Fans expecting Radiohead tunes left disappointed—but frankly, his new material is a fantastic example of how artists evolve and grow.
The lighting and visuals projected on the giant screen made for a striking abstract complement to Yorke’s frenzied dance moves, which I suspect were not learned at an Arthur Murray Dance Studio.
Except for an occasional “thank you” here and there, Yorke said little and instead focused on the music. I had seen Yorke perform before, at Coachella, but this solo concert was a more a refined effort that would make any music fan get up and feel life.
On a side note, I highly recommend the short film Anima, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson with Yorke’s score, now streaming on Netflix. It’s a must see—and a great introduction to Yorke’s solo material.
