The Smile @ The Eastern

News that The Smile, not yet a familiar name on the lips of music lovers, were coming to Atlanta didn’t stop tickets from selling out in about a day. The Smile consists of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead and drummer Tom Skinner who has played with jazz bands previously. The band gradually released singles this year leading to the May release of A Light for Attracting Attention, an album which is likely and rightfully to be at the front of many “Best of 2022” lists. Ever the experimenter, it’s Yorke’s most accessible album since Radiohead’s In Rainbows, released in 2007, regardless of the artist name on the album.

To see this band at The Eastern, Atlanta’s newest and finest “not an arena” venue, is a treat. And for fans of Radiohead, the opportunity to see Yorke and Greenwood in a 2,300 seat venue qualifies as intimate. Just ask those who formed a line at noon to parlay their general admission ticket to VIP status along the front railing. Great for fans? Absolutely.

So how about the performance? The band eschewed songs from Radiohead’s massive catalog, instead playing all thirteen songs from their new album and one cover song from his solo offerings. When you overhear nearby people saying “Hush! This is the best song off the album” and “This is a really good one” at the opening notes of “Skrting on the Surface,” it’s obvious that The Smile’s confidence in their material is well-placed.

The concert began with seven songs from the new album, generally following the recorded versions. The performance, though was an unveiling of a band free to just play rather than the confines of being mindful of video cameras feeding the boards for larger crowds, especially for Yorke. There’s a chemistry on stage, with even Greenwood breaking from his perpetual floor gaze to check in with the others. As is often the case with live music, recordings become transformed when the artist visually expresses it, whether it’s a facial expression or slashing at a guitar.

The band played four new songs by Yorke’s estimation, “some of it weird.” As strange to say when hearing entirely new music, the vibe changed a bit with “Colours Fly,” an even newer song with a vaguely Arabic guitar scale from Greenwood. Yorke admitted during the evening that The Smile was a new band. Listeners take note. This song was fair evidence that they’re testing different waters.

After a rocking “We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings,” the band two additional new songs. “Bodies Laughing” has a groovy feel, with Greenwood clearly enjoying his bass line, Yorke offering a jangly guitar and Skinner playing a snappy beat. In a couple of guitar breakouts, Yorke finds his own experimental sounds wrestling odd sounds from his guitar amidst feedback from his amp.

“Bending Hectic” is a lengthier song beginning slowly and building in intensity as Greenwood finally wails away on his Gibson. A lengthy rocker is always appreciated, and this song supports that their new material may become less of the familiar and more of what they want to be. “Read the Room,” played as an encore, further emphasized that the band may be separating from the “familiar” Radiohead sound, which is saying something as experimental as that band is. On the other hand, the encore debut of “Teleharmonic Phaser” could be classic Radiohead.

This was a great show on all fronts – music, lighting, sound – the respite from rock gods in arenas. And it also brings some questions about Yorke’s “new band.” Why not Radiohead? Why not a solo release? Why not Atoms for Peace, another Yorke project? With this lineup, Yorke isn’t largely limited to keyboards. Both Greenwood and Skinner play that as well. He can play rhythm or lead guitar. He can play bass. He can play both within the same song. Greenwood isn’t beset with adjusting dials on the stage floor for electronic effects. He gets to play bass as well. So, I’ll go with the obvious and suggest this band offers freedom to create differently without the weight of expectation or assumptions on who plays what. Opener Robert Stillman joined the band on four songs on sax, adding another flavor to their sound, which begs the question of his participation in the band’s next recording sessions. I’d wager fans are open for anything that keeps the band smiling… and recording… and touring.