Setlist Playlist: Exploring the Songs on Thom Yorke's ANIMA Tour

Tour Guide

Last updated: 23 Oct 2019, 18:29:04
Published: 23 Oct 2019, 18:10:02
Written by: Hannah Cotter
Photography by: Erina Uemura
Categories: Tour Guide Tagged: Thom Yorke Anima Atoms for Peace Thom Yorke & Nigel Godrich

Thom Yorke is on the tail end of his 2019 North American ANIMA Tour.

The tour comes in support of his third solo album of the same name which dropped in June. Yorke says he was inspired by electronic musician Flying Lotus improvising live with loops, so he and longtime collaborator and friend Nigel Godrich developed Anima through live performances.

The album also features a cast of characters including Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M., Atoms for Peace), Philip Solway (Radiohead, 7 World Collide) and the London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir.

Yorke's live performances have consisted of a good chunk of Anima material, playing songs "Traffic," "Twist," "Impossible Knots," "Not the News," "I Am A Very Rude Person" and more. His 21-song sets have included a decent amount of 2014's Tomorrow's Modern Boxes songs like "Truth Ray," "A Brain in a Bottle," "Pink Section," "Nose Grows Some" etc., and cuts from 2006's The Eraser, like "The Clock," "Black Swan," "Cymbal Rush" and "Atoms for Peace."

Take a look at one of his recent setlists:

You can listen to Yorke's full setlist by cueing up our ANIMA Setlist Playlist on Spotify, and keep reading for a closer look at some of the songs he plays!

"The Clock"

A known environmental activist and supporter, Yorke finds a way to incorporate his concerns into his song lyrics. "The Clock" from his debut solo album, The Eraser, is possibly his most explicit case yet.

"That song was born out of the anger of watching the heads of state around the globe saying 'yes, we really must do something about this,' and no one's grappling with the wider question," he said, in a 2006 interview.

"Most hang on to the illusion that this is going to happen in a couple of hundred years, and it’s not. We’re talking about 50 years."

"The Clock" is Yorke's most-played solo song yet – having been played live 74 times. He plays it at almost every live solo show.

Here's a lovely acoustic rendition of "The Clock" on The Henry Rollins Show in 2006.

Thom Yorke, "The Clock" (acoustic)

"Not the News"

This song helped build the hype for Anima. A little over a week before the album dropped, Yorke had posters hung up all around the world from a company called "Anima Technologies," that had a phone number listed. If you called it, you'd hear the melody for "Not the News" after a short message.

A short film coincided the album's release, which was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and featured "Not the News," "Traffic" and "Dawn Chorus."

Following the album's release, Yorke released a four-song collection that included remixes of "Not the News" titled Not the News Rmx. The album includes versions by Mark Pritchard, Equiknoxx and Clark and an "Extendo Mix."

Check out this visually-stunning performance of "Not the News" at this year's Down the Rabbit Hole!

Thom Yorke, "Not the News" (live)

"Dawn Chorus"

"Dawn Chorus" is easily the Anima standout, and dates back to 2008! Fans speculate Yorke began working on it during Radiohead's In Rainbow sessions. The band played a snippet of what would become "Dawn Chorus" at a soundcheck for their show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

In a 2009 interview, Yorke was asked what his favorite Radiohead song was. He responded:

"Whatever I'm finishing at the moment. There's one called 'Dawn Chorus' I'm trying to finish at the moment that's really great... I think."

Fans have been clamoring for this song since Radiohead created a new company called Dawn Chorus LLC in 2015 to promote their A Moon Shaped Pool EP.

In a recent interview, Yorke was asked why it took so long to release the song. "I was trying to develop how 'Dawn Chorus' was going to work, and find the right combinations on the synthesizers I was using," he replied.

"Couldn't find it, tried it again and again and again. But I knew when I found it I would have my way into the song. Things like that matter to me - they are sort of obsessive, but there is an emotional connection. I was deliberately trying to find something as cold as possible to go with it, like I sing essentially one note all the way through."

Transcend with us and listen to this performance of "Dawn Chorus" in Paris a few months ago.

Thom Yorke, "Dawn Chorus"

"Atoms for Peace"

This song is the sixth track on Yorke's debut solo stint, and inspired the name of his supergroup band (we'll get into those details later).

History buffs might recognize the reference to Dwight D. Eisenhower's revolutionary "Atoms for Peace" speech in 1953. The speech proposed a peaceful and controlled distribution of nuclear technology to countries all over the world, in exchange for their agreement to not use nuclear weapons.

The speech marked one of the first calls to curb the nuclear arms race, inspiring the creation of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1956.

Yorke's supergroup of the same name was formed in 2009 when Yorke first went on tour to promote his solo material. He enlisted fellow musicians Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Nigel Godrich (Radiohead producer), Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and Mauro Refosco (Forro in the Dark) to play with him.

According to our Setlist data, the song "Atoms for Peace" has been played live 57 times since its 2009 debut.