Most well known for his work with Radiohead, and more recently The Smile as well as solo ventures and film scores, all of this was explored throughout the evening (29 October).
There is no one musical world that Yorke sits in; rather the music that is created by Yorke is truly genre-less. He steers clear of any attempt to be pigeonholed and tonight's performance was proof of this.
Without a support act, Yorke comes on at 8.30pm sharp to a dimly lit blue hue. He goes first to the keys and begins with 'The Eraser', taken from his solo album of the same name. It felt immediately intimate, which is not an easy feat in a venue so large; already there were grumblings of sing-alongs and it was clear Thom Yorke's entire discography is treasured by many. So to step into his mind in this way would be an equally treasured gig moment.
Moving into 'Let Down' from 'OK Computer', the muffled sing-along continued, not quite the whole crowd singing. Many were content to just soak in what was happening in front of them.
Image © Arjun SohalThings started to get experimental as many hoped it would when Thom went into 'Last I Heard (...He Was Circling The Drain)' taken from his most recent solo album, 'Anima'. Playing around with the synthesisers, there was an understated, effortless way in which Yorke is able to create the most incredible soundscapes. Nothing is overdone, it's done his way.
Yorke sauntered through the entirety of his discography melding old and new alike, some tracks were true to recorded form, whilst others were toyed around with to make a special live version.
'Pana-Vision' was the only The Smile song in the set, sliding in between 'Packt Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box' and 'Fake Plastic Trees'. 'Fake Plastic Trees', taken from 'The Bends', was a beautiful moment, while other moments showed off Yorke's ability to experiment sonically. Playing the acoustic guitar, there was beauty in the simplicity of 'Fake Plastic Trees'.
Yorke took us through these tender moments of beauty and into moments of gritty, hard-hitting electronic distortion of tracks such as 'Not The News' and 'Hearing Damage'. It truly was a masterclass showcasing all types of music have a place and should be appreciated for what it is, a documentation of different aspects of humanity.
It was a largely very relaxed and entranced crowd, something which Yorke commented on as he sardonically taunted both the crowd and the security for the lack of dancing. Something which picked up later in the set, particularly for 'Black Swan'.
Image © Arjun Sohal'Pyramid Song' and 'Reckoner' each felt like the most vulnerable moment of the night; it really felt like Yorke was putting his heart on display. Yorke is an enigmatic figure in music, but he has written some of the most heart-wrenching and equally life-affirming songs. It's hard to put into words the way he is able to capture something about the human condition.
After keeping the audience entranced for close to two hours, Yorke made his way off the stage for what felt like a prolonged wait, yet the fans knew that wasn't all. An encore of 'All I Need', 'Everything In Its Right Place' and 'Lucky' really was the perfect ending, capturing in song form the gratitude that many had for what they'd just witnessed.
Yorke, in a typically understated way, is able to capture a sense of wonderment and world weariness at once that many connect to. It really was life affirming seeing Yorke do his thing on his own for a night.
