Thom Yorke played several Radiohead covers during his solo show in Auckland, New Zealand today (October 25), including ‘All I Need’ and ‘Kid A’ for the first time on his own – check out his performances below.
Yorke is currently on a solo tour across Australia and Asia, playing tracks from his time with Radiohead, The Smile and Atoms For Peace, as well as from his solo discography.
Alongside the live solo debuts of ‘All I Need’ from 2007’s ‘In Rainbows’ and ‘Kid A’ from the 2000 album of the same name, Yorke closed the show by performing Radiohead’s 1997 hit ‘Lucky’ solo for the first time in 20 years.
Other significant cuts from the setlist include his first solo performances of Radiohead’s ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ since 2015 and ‘Let Down’ since 2016.
Check out fan-filmed footage of the show below:
saw thom yorke today, guy next to me wouldnt stfu but other than that it was pretty good pic.twitter.com/ExqE3zpEDz
— nutti (@nuttimeister) October 25, 2024
At the opening night of the tour in Christchurch, Yorke debuted a new song, ‘Back In The Game’’.
The live show comes shortly after the singer made headlines by saying he “really doesn’t give a fuck” if fans want Radiohead to return.
When asked by Australian outlet Double J about his thoughts on Radiohead fans’ speculation over the band’s future, Yorke replied: “I am not aware of it and don’t really give a flying fuck.”
“No offence to anyone and err, thanks for caring,” he continued. “But I think we’ve earned the right to do what makes sense to us without having to explain ourselves or be answerable to anyone else’s historical idea of what we should be doing.”
It comes after bassist Colin Greenwood caught up with NME around the release of his new photo book How To Disappear, and opened up about the band’s reunion rehearsals over the summer.
Before then, his brother, Jonny, shared with NME that he found the rehearsals “fun and natural”, but went on to add that there are “no plans” for anything Radiohead-related in 2025, as the members are focused on “individual projects”.
Meanwhile, Radiohead side project The Smile – comprising Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner – recently released their new album ‘Cutouts’. NME gave the LP a four-star review, and described it as the band “seem[ing] to be having more fun than ever”.
“The Smile’s M.O., then, seems to be experimentation without the baggage of Yorke and Greenwood’s bulging back catalogue – and ‘Cutouts’ certainly delivers here,” it read.
“Featuring the London Contemporary Orchestra, the album was recorded in Oxford and Abbey Road Studios alongside ‘Wall of Eyes’, but this is a freer, more playful set than its predecessor.
“Where that record boasted ‘Bending Hectic’, a lush, eight-minute ballad that collapsed into jagged dissonance that made Lou Reed sound like Aqua, this one presents ‘Instant Psalm’, a woozy pop song that channels The Beatles’ Indian classical phase.”
