Radiohead
Victoria Park
London
September 25, 2000

Under a big top in a field in London, with Victorian lettering on the tickets, this could have been billed as the greatest show on earth.

From the grinding opening bars of "The National Anthem" off the imminent Kid A album, Radiohead gripped the crowd and didn't let go for the next two hours.

The pounding bass of this new track sets the tone for the rest of the album. Radiohead have moved away from guitars in favour of heavy bass lines and electronic beats.

This was most noticeable on "Idioteque", a sort of Radiohead meets Kraftwerk, with Thom Yorke's vocal melodies driving the track along.

He twitched on stage like a man possessed as the hard-edged percussion echoed through the canvas tent.

Blistering rock

Though the purpose of the tour is to showcase the new album, Radiohead know what their fans want. So the beats of "Idioteque" were quickly followed up by one of their most anthemic songs, "Just".

This is when Radiohead are at their best live. Old favourites like "My Iron Lung" and "The Bends" showed that they're still capable of returning to their rock roots.

A blistering performance of "Paranoid Android" sent the crowd wild, while the sound of 10,000 people singing along with Thom Yorke to "Karma Police" was a truly uplifting experience.

As if the material from the new album was not enough, Radiohead also treated the crowd to several unreleased tracks. Introducing these new songs, Yorke admitted the band didn't know what they were going to do with them.

One of them, "I Might Be Wrong"", was described by Yorke as a disco track. Another, "Knives Out", was reminiscent of the intricate guitar rhythms of OK Computer.

Wealth of talent

The plethora of new tracks does seem to back up rumours that the band have enough material for an another album.

There have been suggestions it could be released in the spring of 2001, though in a recent interview, Yorke was reluctant to commit himself.

Radiohead closed with "Motion Picture Soundtrack", which must be the most beautiful song on Kid A.

While it bears Thom Yorke's trademark anguished vocals, the band have given it a new twist, by abandoning guitars in favour of the organ and double bass, giving the song extra poignancy.

Radiohead's new material might not be to everyone's taste. But on the strength of the live performance, there can be no doubt that they are still one of the most talented and innovative bands in Britain.

-Alfred Hermida

BBC
26.09.00