As a concept, it smacks of U2-esque self-indulgence. Touring a giant tent around Europe with a merchandising shop and a brace of chemical toilets in tow isn't exactly the move of a humble band, but then what have Radiohead got to be humble about? The past five years have seen them taken into the hearts of angsty adolescents and Q-buying adults everywhere. Add to that the fact that they've never been particularly keen to play the game conventionally, this 'big top' tour starts to seem like a good idea. Actually arrive on site and it seems even better. The tent is just the right size to hold a couple of thousand punters and still feel homely. Those 'Radiohead politely ask that you do not mosh or crowdsurf' notices are the only signs of big band snobbery. After the fantastic side-show that is Clinic (surely the first band to take the Melodica to stadium level), though, that's all forgotten and anticipation for the main event begins to swell.

The grand gesture that is 'The National Anthem' opens a two hour set that continually swings between 'the hits' ('No Surprises', 'My Iron Lung' and 'Lucky' are particular highlights in this category) and 'the delicate swathes of sound that don't really work in a big tent'. Unsurprisingly, most of the latter come from Kid A, the new album that is rooted firmly in ambient techno territory. Maybe it's this or maybe it's the aforementioned 'polite notices', but the usual signs of the crowd enjoying the gig are missing. The usual enthusiastic clamour towards the stage is replaced by people standing in the same place throughout and talking during songs, a situation that results in the whole gig having an atmosphere akin to a night at the opera.

Still, take a close look at the stage and you see Britain's finest rock band getting on with playing music that doesn't try to hark back to any bygone era or try to win over a particular market. Particularly impressive of the new material is 'Idioteque', all minimal breakbeats, synths and trademark Thom Yorke whine. There's a 'boys and their toys' element to it of course, especially when they start playing snatches of live radio broadcasts and sampling Thom's voice for immediate playback at odd pitches, but it's about time something new was done with the 'stadium circuit'. You can only have so much of Stereophonics-style self-congratulatory stadium wank-athons before you yearn to see a man slowly robot-dance across a stage while black-and-white images of the band are displayed above your head. Yes, the Radiohead live experience these days is certainly as different from the mainstream as their music is.

-Martin Bryant

14 Sandwiches
11.00