Last night every Radiohead fan warmed his heart in Brussels, where the three-piece The Smile, consisting of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner, gave a Belgian performance for the second time in its short history. The band has been a creative powerhouse that is not bound by conventions for some time now. That proved Wall Of Eyes yet again, their second roll released a month and a half ago. A record that was a lot less intense, but even more jazz and was full of better millimeter work. The band then decided that they now had enough music for a Belgian hall show and therefore chose a sold-out Vorst Nationaal.
James Holden was allowed to try to warm up the Brussels audience. With the emphasis on trying, because we cannot call the support act successful. For 45 minutes we listened to very literal waiting music for the next act. The first thirty minutes of instrumental loops even became annoying after a while, even though samba balls or djembés made the whole thing (fortunately) a little more traditional. When the loop stopped for the first time, the music finally picked up some pace, but we cannot deny that we wondered a few times what we were watching.
Fortunately, there were musical greats backstage. Thom Yorke received a warm applause from Vorst Nationaal when he first appeared in the Brussels field of view. Yorke responded with the beautiful “Wall Of Eyes”, the opening track of their fresh album of the same name. A record that rocks slightly less than its predecessor A Light For Attracting Attention, which also translated into a concert consisting of two parts. A velvety, quiet half and a heavy rocking half.
In that first half, Thom Yorke really used his voice as an instrument. The first notes of “Wall Of Eyes” cut straight away as Jonny Greenwood hugged his guitar warmly in the background. Skinner is also a wonderful addition to the Radiohead duo. His jazzy drum background from Sons Of Kemet pumps a unique identity into the project. Everything seemed to come naturally to him, including the solos, but he still managed to never overdo it with minuscule precision. Jonny Greenwood showed his wide range of talents by playing his guitar with a bow, occasionally rocking hard and letting a piano echo through the hall. With his neck at a ninety-degree angle to his back, he even added a harp to “Speech Bubbels,” which fell over the audience like a warm blanket. If the long series of quiet songs started to get boring after a while, moments like this always made up for it in time.
Visually, the puzzle fitted thanks to horizontal LED lights that were used in every possible way. Certainly the second rock part was carried along by what we saw. The occasionally surprisingly greasy guitars were supported by flickering lights and crowd surfers. The fresh “Friend of a Friend”, a song that only saw the light of day about two months ago, was already enthusiastically sung along by the audience. Vorst Nationaal ate from Thom Yorke’s hand and the Brit easily twirled everyone around his finger during a series of better-known songs. Greenwood’s bass guitar during “The Smoke” made everyone dance, then the band put a brick on the accelerator with “You Will Never Work in Television Again”.
Thom Yorke already has a number of songs under Radiohead, but after last night we can say without hesitation that “Bending Hectic” may well be the Brit’s magnum opus. The quiet build-up had many smartphone flashlights on and just when the hair on our arms stood up stiffly, it was completely blown flat by an unparalleled outro. “Bending Hectic” had been a perfect ending, so the encore numbers felt briefly redundant after such a hit. After two years, The Smile has already shed its ‘side project’ label. This was proven by a rich set of bangers and creative jazz excesses. Each song was presented with great precision. It was millimeter work in a magical, Yorkian way. They can do those tricks again at Pukkelpop this summer.
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Setlist:
Wall Of Eyes
The Opposite
A Hairdryer
Speech Bubbles
Colours Fly
Skrting on the Surface
Instant Psalm
Waving a White Flag
Thin Thing
Zero Sum
Friend of a Friend
Read the Room
We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings
The Smoke
You Will Never Work in Television Again
Under Our Pillows
Bending Hectic
Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses (Thom Yorke)
Teleharmonic
Pana-Vision
You Know Me!