Thom Yorke is giving audiences Aussies and Kiwis all they could hope for as his rare, short, solo tour takes shape.
The Everything Tour kicked off at Christchurch, New Zealand last week (10/23) with live debuts and a Radiohead rarity he hadn't sung since Obama's first term.
Dimly lit, the stage at Wolfbrook Arena simply contained two small racks of keyboards and a microphone. It was all the scruffy singer who just turned 56 needed to rifle off songs from his time writing for and performing in Radiohead, Atoms For Peace and The Smile.
The Libra crooner also gave the sold out crowd “Rabbit in Your Headlights,” from his 1998 UNKLE collaboration.
When he said Everything, he meant it.
Yorke has partnered with electronic musician Mark Pritchard for over a dozen tracks throughout their careers.
Pritchard, a British keyboard wiz and producer, moved to Australia in the early 2000s, which might be why Yorke's little soiree is blessing that side of the globe, a region he hasn't performed in for years.
Radiohead, for example, haven't played New Zealand or Aussieland since 2012's The King of Limbs Tour.
In June, when Yorke announced this tour, he said his plan was to re-work many of the songs from his vast catalogues.
"In the autumn in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Japan I will be alone on stage trying a new kind of solo show thing playing versions of songs from my recent and not so recent past," he tweeted.
There's nothing more recent than something brand spanking new. "Back in the Game" was the piece he premiered for the Kiwis.
"Let's see if this works, shall we," Yorke said before fiddling with his technology and unearthing space sounds and effects that set the scene for a plodding electro drum beat.
Then he sang the lyrics, which hopefully aren't too autobiographical:
Hope you missed me
How's it been?
Back to 2020 again
[later..]
I'm never getting out
It's not gonna change
I hate myself
I want it to end
Good to have you back
So where have you been?
Was it even a whole song? Seemed like a prologue to something bigger. Maybe the intro of a new solo record. A sketch of a larger piece still in the works? Regardless, it's new. Thom is still at it.
When he wasn't dancing and singing and playing the heavily programmed keyboards, he serenaded the crowd with his guitar. But Yorke was never stingy about playing Radiohead tunes like "Bloom," "How to Disappear Completely," and the final encore, "Karma Police."
So while the singer may have turned his back (for now) on the group that made him famous, he hasn't given up on those beautiful songs.
And let's face it, no one can sing those bangers like he can. Anything else is either a foolish impersonation or something that has to be completely re-engineered like when DEVO covered The Stones' "Satisfaction."
If you are one of the lucky few to have snagged tickets to this unique and modern retrospective of an iconic alternative artist as he experiments with ways to re-arrange the music so dear to so many, be prepared.
Know that the stage is sparse, dark, and yet colorful. And it's just Thom.
You might feel like he's invited you into his laboratory for a few hours to remind you, and himself, exactly where he's been.
And so far it's been a fantastic journey.
Thom's tour is complete sold out except for one date in Japan. Get your tickets via his website.