The Smile’s American Tour Rolls on Through New York City

Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead took a musical detour during the pandemic to link up with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner for a new project, the Smile. Initially, when the Smile made their live debut in England in 2021, few knew what direction the music would take. But the trio found a way to skim along the sounds of their main projects; Skinner provides a deeper London jazz groove to lock into while the Radiohead side offer moody rock elements. It all melds into one of the most engaging Radiohead-adjacent projects (though I don’t want to overlook Greenwood’s work with Junun). Their debut effort A Light for Attracting Attention has earned much critical acclaim since its May 2022 release. 

Six months later, the Smile began a run of shows that will cross through the United States, dipping into Canada, before wrapping up just before Christmas. The November 20th show at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City was the third and final night of a New York City run and the venue was packed. 

The opener, multi-instrumentalist Robert Stillman, was well-selected. His bio mentions that his music mixes the “archaic with the futuristic” including experimental electronic music, and had released a record, What Does It Mean to Be American? in early 2022. Throughout his solo set, Stillman played saxophone while looping and layering effects from pedals and a console.

The Smile took the stage in an unexpected formation. Yorke’s stage right placement was surprising for a lead singer and Skinner wasn’t back center where a drummer might normally be. Greenwood instead occupied the center stage with all of his guitars and gadgets. The set began with gripping album opener “The Same” as Greenwood leaned into the piano and Yorke picked up a bass before the group continued into the jittery “Thin Thing”.

Throughout the show, Yorke and Greenwood rotated between instruments and kept banter to a minimum. A short while after introducing the “new” band though, Yorke’s chatter could be heard instructing the Smile to skip past a song as a modulator or something wasn’t working. Instead, the audience got to hear one of three newer songs, “Bending Hectic” that are making their appearance on tour (the other two are “Read the Room” and “Bodies Laughing”). 

“Hectic” led into the frenetic energy of “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings” as Yorke incanted the chorus to the accompaniment of pulsating lights before “Read the Room” offered a dreamier come-down. Yorke gave a brief pause to proclaim, “I very much enjoy being back in New York City. We wish we had another week, or two, at least” before inviting Stillman back to the stage for “People on Balconies”. The four-piece unleashed the killer combo of “The Smoke” and the thrashing “You Will Never Work in Television Again” before taking a short break and returning for the final three songs.

SET LIST

The Same
Thin Thing
The Opposite
Speech Bubbles
Pana-Vision
A Hairdryer
Bending Hectic
We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings
Read the Room
Bodies Laughing
Skrting on the Surface
People on Balconies
The Smoke
You Will Never Work in Television Again
[encore break]
Just Eyes and Mouth
Colours Fly
Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses

TOUR DATES

1st Riviera Theatre, Chicago
3rd Ryman Auditorium, Nashville
4th The Eastern, Atlanta
6th Orpheum Theatre, New Orleans
8th The Factory in Deep Ellum, Dallas
10th Mission Ballroom, Denver
11th Mission Ballroom, Denver
14th Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland
16th WaMu Theater, Seattle
18th Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
21st Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
22nd Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles