Thom Yorke debuted a new song called ‘Back In The Game’ on the first night of his solo tour. Check out footage of the moment below.
The gig took place at the Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch, New Zealand, and marked the first night of his solo tour dates across Australia and Asia.
At the gig, the frontman brought out a 24-song setlist, filled with tracks from his time with Radiohead, The Smile and Atoms For Peace, as well as from his solo discography. It launched with an acoustic rendition of Radiohead’s ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’, before going on to cover more of the band’s hits like ‘I Might Be Wrong’, ‘Bloom’, Daydreaming’, ‘Present Tense’ and more.
He also performed renditions of solo tracks ‘A Brain In A Bottle’, ‘Suspirium’, ‘Black Swan’, ‘Volk’, ‘Hearing Damage’ and more, alongside an acoustic version of The Smile’s latest single ‘Bodies Laughing’ and a cover of UNKLE’s ‘Rabbit In Your Headlights’.
It was 10 songs into the setlist, however, when Yorke surprised fans by introducing a new song titled ‘Back In The Game’
According to fan footage, the track has an ethereal, electronic feel throughout. It kicks in with a pulsing, sci-fi-inspired beat, while Yorke adds his signature vocal style over the top. “Never getting out, it’s not gonna change/ I hate myself, I want it to end,” he appears to sing in one part.
Check it out below.
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While little is known about the song or its release date, it’s likely that the track will be aired out again in the remainder of the singer’s planned live shows.
For that opening night in Christchurch, Yorke closed out the set with an acoustic rendition of Radiohead’s classic track ‘Karma Police’.
Find more footage of the show below, as well as remaining tour dates (buy tickets here).
Thom Yorke’s remaining solo tour dates are:
OCTOBER 2024
25 – Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
29 – Melbourne, Australia @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
30 – Melbourne, Australia @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
NOVEMBER 2024
01 – Sydney, Australia @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt
02 – Sydney, Australia @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt
05 – Singapore @ The Star Theatre
12 – Osaka, Japan @ Grand Cube
13 – Osaka, Japan @ Grand Cube
18 – Fukuoka, Japan @ Sunplace
19 – Hiroshima, Japan @ Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen HBG Hall
21 – Nagoya, Japan @ Century Hall
23 – Tokyo, Japan @ Tokyo Garden Theatre
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 and 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.”
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