Watch Thom Yorke Sing Solo When Radiohead’s Show Stops
It can be difficult and a little awkward for any lead singer to figure out what to do with himself during the downtime between songs — or verses — but Radiohead frontman Thom York isn't just any singer, and he proved it all over again in Argentina on April 14.
Radiohead's set at Tecnópolis in Villa Martelli for the Soundhearts Festival marked their first show in the country in nine years, so there was understandably a lot of pent-up anticipation in the audience when the band took the stage — and a palpable sense of disappointment when things ground to a halt partway through because security needed to repair a crowd barrier. Perhaps sensing unrest, Yorke stepped up to the mic and delivered a truly solo rendition of the Hail to the Thief track "The Gloaming."
As seen in the fan-filmed footage below, Yorke's quick decision quickly calmed the crowd — a somewhat ironic result given the deep feelings of unease that motivated the writing of the lyrics.
As Yorke explained on the Hail to the Chief interview disc, he started getting the words together during long evening drives through the countryside, embracing the growing darkness as a theme. "It was very much about an imminent sense of darkness and thinking about the future," said Yorke. "I guess, you know… it’s got a lot of dread in it, really."
Radiohead, Tecnópolis in Villa Martelli, Soundhearts Festival, 4/14/18
"Daydreaming"
"Ful Stop"
"15 Step"
"Myxomatosis"
"Lucky"
"Nude"
"Pyramid Song"
"Everything in Its Right Place"
"Let Down"
"Bloom"
"The Numbers"
"My Iron Lung"
"The Gloaming"
"I Might Be Wrong"
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"
"Feral"
"Bodysnatchers"
"Desert Island Disk"
"Climbing Up the Walls"
"There There"
"Exit Music (for a Film)"
"The National Anthem"
"Idioteque"
"Present Tense"
"2 + 2 = 5"
"Paranoid Android"
"Creep"