Radiohead @ Rod Laver Arena 17/11/12

It’s fair to say I’d been waiting a while for this one.  The last time Radiohead toured this country I was 21, but thanks to Thom’s voice packing it in early on that visit my unused ticket has stared back at me from my pinboard of stubs as a piece of unfinished business for 8 and a half years.  On Saturday night though at the age of 30 and having basically spent my entire 20’s learning to be super cynical about Radiohead tour rumours I finally got to experience them from within the same room.

Kiwis ‘Connan Mockasin’ opened, handpicked by Radiohead for reasons that soon became clear stylistically speaking.  The performance was enough to earmark them as one to keep an eye on but they were only ever going to be a footnote on the evening for most of us in attendance.

So the lights went down and Thom, Ed, Colin, Jonny and Phil arrived on stage to a roar of anticipatory excitement, many in the crowd undoubtedly with stories of enforced patience and longing like my own.  Lotus Flower kicked things off and was immediately followed with Bloom, the 1-2 ‘King of Limbs’ punch serving as an early statement that this tour isn’t some career victory parade, Radiohead are very much focused on ‘the now’.

It’s always been part of the band’s personality to do things on their terms and the setlist is no different. New material like ‘The Daily Mail’ and ‘Ful Stop’ was showcased, the sort of songs you’re either slightly miffed are coming at the expense of some back catalogue gold or are intrigued by and hope they’ll turn out to be classics heard in their earliest incarnations.

‘Planet Telex’ is the only song included from the first 2 albums, a disappointing stat on paper considering the greatness of ‘The Bends’ but in truth the performance itself transcended any niggling regrets about specific tracks I’d hoped to hear.  After all, they haven’t forged their legendary reputation by pandering to the masses with ‘hits’.

It’s difficult not to become pre-occupied with Thom Yorke.  His voice often tells the story more by tone than discernable lyrics, the inimitable trumpcard in the band’s considerable arsenal.  I was blown away by it’s quality, songs like ‘Nude’, ‘How To Disappear Completely’ and ‘Exit Music (For a Film)’ showcasing it’s note perfect tenderness that had 15,000+ staring in silent fixation.  When the rest of the band cranked into gear it was Yorke’s dancing that grabbed the attention, largely for it’s complete lack of inhibition.

For the most part Phil Selway was kept company at stage rear by Colin Greenwood and a guest drummer, introduced simply as Clive who beefed up the rhythm section with an extra kit.  Ed O’Brien and Jonny Greenwood flanked the stage occupying worlds all their own, immersed in the precision of their cognitive tasks, seemingly oblivious to the sum output of their efforts.

The live set re-inforces just how versatile they are.  Switching between piano ballads, proggy electronic numbers and bursts of guitar rock yet always sounding like nobody but themselves. ‘Paranoid Android’ was rolled out in it’s 3-phases of glory, a song that sits at the apex of all we love about the band with it’s blend of bleak drama, forward thinking and classic riffs.  Hearing it live is a bucket list fulfilling moment..

For all the emotional intensity of the music the band were quite the contrary between songs. Talk was kept to a minimum but when the occasional word was uttered it was usually delivered with a tension alleviating sillyness that induced chuckles from the audience.  Yorke at one point dryly offering: “If you’re wondering why I’m wearing a tie, it’s cos I have a job interview after this.”

The impassioned ovation that commenced after Idioteque had capped the first encore and continued long after Yorke alone had re-emerged to kick off another was amazing.  It was as sincere an outpouring of gratitude and adoration I’ve ever seen for a band and you get the feeling is the kick of inspiration that makes the slog at the end of a gruelling world tour all worth it for them.  Shortly after this the night come to a close with ‘Everything In It’s Right Place’ and personally, those words have rarely rung truer.

Setlist:

1.Lotus Flower

2. Bloom

3. There There

4. The Daily Mail

5. Myxomatosis

6. The Gloaming

7. Separator

8. Kid A

9. How To Disappear Completely

10. Nude

11. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi

12. Ful Stop

13. You And Whose Army?

14. Paranoid Android

15. Feral

16. Bodysnatchers

Encore

17. Exit Music (For A Film)

18. These Are My Twisted Words

19. Pyramid Song

20. Planet Telex

21. Idioteque

Encore 2

22. Give Up The Ghost

23. Reckoner

24. Everything In It’s Right Place