Thom Yorke Offers Live Debuts At Tour Opener In Cologne

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke began a world tour featuring “live electronic performances” with Nigel Godrich and Tarik Barri on Tuesday night at the Palladium in Cologne. The trio, who previously hit the road as Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes in 2015, went heavy on material from Yorke’s recently released ANIMA album.

Barri provided visuals as Yorke and Godrich performed a 16-song set and five-song encore. The screen featuring Tarik’s images went out during the penultimate song of the set and returned by the second tune of the encore. Last night’s concert included four debuts, consisting of three tracks from ANIMA and one from Thom’s Suspiria: Music For The Luca soundtrack.

The show began with “Interference” from 2014’s Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes LP. Yorke, Godrich and Barri then pulled “Not The News” and “Impossible Knots” off ANIMA before performing “Black Swan” and “Harrowdown Hill” from Thom’s 2006 debut album, The Eraser. Next came Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes tracks “Pink Section” and “Nose Grows Some.” Yorke then led the first ever live performance of ANIMA’s “Last I Heard (…He Was Circling The Drain).”

The concert continued with “The Clock” from The Eraser and live debuts of ANIMA’s “Dawn Chorus” and “Has Ended” from the Suspiria soundtrack. Last night’s main set concluded with a segment that included “Amok” from supergroup Atoms For Peace and a version of “Traffic” in which the screen went out. Yorke and company opened the encore with “Susprium” and then the screen came back just in time for the live debut of “Runawayaway.” The band said farewell with a sequence of “The Axe,” “Atoms For Peace” and “Default.”

Yorke, Godrich and Barri tour Europe through July 20 and then head to Japan for the Fuji Rock Festival. A North American tour spans September 26 – October 30.

Fan-Shot Videos

Harrowdown Hill Captured by karindgr

The Clock Captured by Dima

Dawn Chorus Captured by karindgr

Suspirium Captured by Mike Töns