In an age when the value of music is being undermined by algorithmic preferences and streaming fatigue, it's always good to reflect on what makes music worth listening to in the first place and why it truly matters to our lives.
One highly notable artist creating deeply resonating music for millions of people around the world with his various music projects, including in the powerhouse art-rock outfit Radiohead, is Thom Yorke.During his four decades as a composer of innovative music, Yorke's approach to his career has always been to create art that reflects the human condition and how a world of rapid technological and ecological changes has impacted our hearts and minds.
Each music project Yorke has ever worked on, is scrutinised and critiqued to great length and with so much enigma behind him, any new music release or tour always attracts great interest and attention.
Yorke's last visit to Australia with Radiohead was back in 2012 and since that time, Radiohead have released just one album in 'A Moon Shaped Pool' and have become dormant for the last few years.
In the meantime, Yorke and fellow Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood began the trio outfit The Smile during the COVID years, yet fans down under who missed out on seeing Radiohead 12 years ago, are still eagerly waiting for an opportunity to see the iconic rock quintet.
Then out of the blue this year came the exciting tour announcement of a first time Thom Yorke solo tour titled 'Everything' starting out in New Zealand and Australia, with two nights selling out very quickly at Sydney Opera House Forecourt – a spectacular outdoor venue overlooking the Sydney CBD, the Botanic Gardens and Circular Quay.
Image © Hayden Nixon
Kicking off on Friday (1 November), the weather was forecasted to rain, yet it did not damper the spirits of the audience who were about to witness the first ever Thom Yorke solo show in Sydney.
To warm up early comers Mark Pritchard performed a DJ set of soothing electronic and jazz music while people made there way up close to the stage or chose to sit right back on the Opera House steps overlooking the stage and the wonderful city skyline.
As the afternoon faded to night, Yorke's arrival was one of aplomb as an eager crowd was ready for him to play his illustrious and breathtaking catalogue of music. Opening the concert was the beautiful composition 'The Eraser', from his first solo album of the same name.
Image © Hayden Nixon
As a one-man show, the intimacy of Yorke's presentation when playing piano or acoustic guitar, or even dancing bizarrely onstage to avant-garde electronica, was truly special; while behind him, were remarkable visuals generated by Tarik Barri using his custom-made Versum software to generate an evolving digital spectacle that responds to the music in real-time and creates a unique and engaging visual narrative, adding depth to the visceral nature of the songs and the performance.
The whole background resembled an outdoor art installation, penetrating the senses in an emotionally mesmerising way and manifesting into a primal rave. Yorke's face appeared on screen in vivid red heightening the atmosphere, and with the Halloween festivities also taking place that night, it immensely contributed to the eerie feelings experienced in the city.
The audience were treated to a repertoire of Yorke's most creatively ambitious solo music as well as timeless Radiohead classics from the '90s such as 'Fake Plastic Trees' and 'Let Down'; there was even a taste of some of his movie soundtrack work composed in recent years including the 2018 'Suspiria' remake of the '70s Italian horror cult film with the screen immersed in a chilling deep red blood fluidity.
Image © Hayden Nixon
A Thom Yorke show arguably evokes feelings of melancholy and allows for the listener to indulge into this world of alienation, loneliness and sorrow; yet it's a safe and liberating space to do so.
Yorke's solo composition 'Not The News' is a clear example of this, where the frantic, pixelated colours on screen and the dystopian futuristic electronic glitches collide to transform the dreamlike vision into a proper nightmare. As the pleasant breeze of the harbour came through, the synthesis between music and visuals was overpowering.
Yorke's singing is still gorgeous after all these years and with little banter to speak about between songs, he let the music on the night do all of the talking. Songs from every Radiohead album, excluding 'Pablo Honey', were included in the set list with 21st century classics such as 'Pyramid Song', 'Reckoner' and the alien melancholy anthem 'Everything In Its Right Place' performed to the delight of every single person in attendance.
Image © Hayden Nixon
Despite the heavens opening towards the end of the show, everyone stood or sat where they were for the final encore, which included 'All I Need' and 'How To Disappear Completely', and concluded an outstanding show that was a first of its kind bringing much pleasure to many drenched Radiohead and Thom Yorke fans who have been waiting for years to enjoy this music live.
Yorke, who is now 56 years old, has created a lifetime of music that has had a profound impact not only in popular culture, but also in communicating the essence of what it means to be human in a time of existential uncertainty, ascertaining that music is the absolute antidote to keep us alive, sane and healthy.
More photos from the concert.
