The Smile | James Holden
O2 Apollo, Manchester
19th March 2024
The Smile had fans gasping and grinning from ear to ear with the breathtaking sounds emanating from the stage. Claire Glover reports, with photos by Liam Maxwell from this memorable Manchester show.
There’s no doubt a deep and meaningful reason for the band name, but we all know the meaning of ‘smile’ to be – a facial expression characterised by an upturning of the corners of the mouth. Yet in this instance, The Smile is – characterised by an upturning of conventional music, throwing it out of the window and creating a chaotic but beautiful celebration of jazz-infused sounds, injected with utter musical genius.
Support came from the brilliant electronic music artist James Holden whose superb performance warmed the crowd up perfectly and skillfully demonstrated how electronic music can be brought to life in a concert setting. The atmosphere was buzzing, and anticipation was slowly rising at the iconic O2 Apollo.
The Smile band was formed during the pandemic by Radiohead’s lead singer/songwriter, pianist and guitarist Thom Yorke and multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood. They joined forces with percussionist Tom Skinner who co-founded the jazz band Sons of Kemet, and they have the wonderful saxophonist Robert Stillman, from America on board.
As many will be aware, Radiohead are a successful English alternative electronica; experimental rock band formed in Oxfordshire, in 1985. Their triple-platinum, third album OK Computer changed the face of modern music in 1997. The Smile are a completely separate entity, in their own right. Opening with the superb Wall Of Eyes, the title track from their brilliant second album. Let us raise our glasses is so apt at this point.
The backdrop features a huge bank of dazzling lights, with Individual cameras focused on each band member, who are projected and enlarged onto four screens high above the stage. Next in line is The Opposite with Thom’s distinctive wild, exciting yet melodic vocals, that weave in and out of the layers of what could be only be described as extraordinary, experimental jazz fusion, blending beautifully.
Thom could sing about any subject and it wouldn’t matter, but when you drill down into the lyrics they are as ever, just superb, poetic and meaningful. Next up “Look at all the pretty lights,” he repeatedly sings in A Hairdryer. The perfect percussion forms the foundation for the layers of multiple instruments shared and played by Thom and Jonny. Thom plays bass in some, in addition to guitar, synths and piano. Drummer Tom also played a modular synth. Superb sax playing through a variety of effects pedals by Robert. Jonny played it all, analogue piano, synths, harp, bass, upright cello. Also, the skilful use of loop pedals just added to the absolute frenzy of breathtaking sounds.
These sounds coupled with tempo changes and perfect synergy, made for a masterclass in ‘how to blow everyone’s fucking mind’. This certainly was apparent judging by the crowd’s responses, which ranged from being hypnotised and engulfed by the magical sounds, to mouths open, heads shaking in disbelief at what they were hearing and experiencing. Then came the magnificent and seductive Speech Bubbles followed by unreleased track Colours Fly. Thom’s vocals on this could be described as him sounding ‘almost possessed’ by the enchanting sounds and taking the crowd along for the ride too.
The atmosphere was electric, perfect for the bewitching Skrting on the Surface that followed. Thom introduced the next song as a ‘new’ one and treated the crowd to Instant Psalm which was more conventional yet haunting and mesmerising. Waving a White Flag followed with its majestic, organ sound. Then Thin Thing which had an exciting rock feel to it.
I Quit was just stunning, along with every other track, no weak spots to be found in the O2 Apollo that night. Switching the piano position round next for the jazz swing style Friend of a Friend. Thom asked the crowd to bear with it, then an audience member amusingly shouted “take ya time”. Probably echoing the thoughts of everyone …take as long as you want, we’re not going anywhere’. Read the Room with its intricate riffs was followed by We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings, with a real punky feel. Then came The Smoke with a repetitive, melodic and hypnotic bass line courtesy of Jonny. Under Our Pillows preceded You Will Never Work in Television Again with its racing, electronic punky vibe. Changing down the gears, literally, and finishing with Bending Hectic, with beautiful guitar playing from Thom, sprinkled with a unique riff, almost sounding like guitar tuning but cutting across amazingly in this context.
Exit The Smile, they leave a chaotic frenzy of sounds feeding the already charged atmosphere. There’s no way they couldn’t come back on after that.
Of course, they returned to the sounds of the cheering crowds, with none other than the awe-inspiring Thom Yorke song Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses. Then Teleharmonic which was enhanced by beautiful saxophone playing and The Smile finally bowing out with Pana-Vision, enhanced by a haunting, melodic piano and superb percussion throughout provided by skilled jazz percussionist Tom Skinner. A classical feel, beautiful piano and cello with Jonny and his signature mop of black hair falling over his face as he ponders his next move. Saxophonist Robert Stillman adds an extra layer of energy to the already sublime dynamic. Were fans desperate for a couple of bars and a quick blast of either The Bends, Just or Paranoid Android maybe? No doubt there were fleeting thoughts of that, being faced at such proximity by Thom and Jonny. Yet no, no, no, this band had to be taken as a separate body, with their freewheeling versatility forcing them to lose themselves in this genius experimental musical extravaganza.
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The Smile band can be found on Facebook | Instagram | X and website
All words by Claire Glover. More writing by Claire on Louder Than War can be found at her author profile here. You can also find her on Twitter
Photos by Liam Maxwell, you can find him here – contact
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