Atoms for Peace, Roundhouse - music review

Thom Yorke’s new project is really up and Atom...
Atoms For Peace - Thom Yorke Atoms For Peace in concert at The Roundhouse, London, Britain - 24 Jul 2013 On the first night of a three night residency at the venue
Polly Thomas/Music Pics / Rex Features
10 September 2013

The lucky few got to hear the latest project from Thom Yorke of Radiohead at the first of three Camden shows last night. At 50 quid a ticket he was pricing himself well beyond the means of the Spotify streamers, who found his music removed from their web service last week.

“Make no mistake, new artists you discover on Spotify will not get paid,” he said, to protestations from the company. Instead, Atoms for Peace are allied with new British startup Soundhalo, which is selling audio and video of these concerts, the band’s first in London.

I hope the cameras capture the full blaze of an increasingly unhinged light show, a wall of spots and lines that really erupted during the fiery climax of Yorke’s solo song Harrowdown Hill.

The band, formed to perform Yorke’s solo material, might even be more watchable than Radiohead, with Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers throwing himself about on bass, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich flitting between guitar and keyboards and two men on percussion, Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco.

And Yorke, in contrast to his cliched reputation as rock’s gloomiest man, was clearly having a ball.

As anyone familiar with Radiohead’s last decade could have told you, tunes and choruses were heavily rationed. The song Atoms for Peace was the prettiest with its simple electronic bass. Elsewhere the thrills came from an expert band performing complex music flawlessly – a sight worth paying for.

Until Fri (0870 389 1846, roundhouse.org.uk)

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