The Smile, Magazine London (livestream). 30th January 2022

The Smile I suspect divide opinion. Much like Radiohead who’s members make up two thirds of this new outfit. It’s hard not to get away from Radiohead when you’ve got Thom Yorke singing and Jonny Greenwood playing. They’re joined by Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner and are dipping their toes playing a few pretty intimate shows in London this weekend. For those that aren’t residents of the capital, the shows are being live streamed for £20 a ticket. This has raised some eyebrows, but I’m on board. Firstly, this is a proper gig. In the round, properly lit and very well filmed. I’m not in the live audience, but suspect it looks and sounds great in the room as it does online. It feels exclusive, not like many of the throwaway livestreams we’ve got used to over the last couple of years. This is how it should be done and it’s more than worth the money. These blokes are once again showing the way and I’d encourage more bands to follow suit. Are the tunes any good though? Well if you like Radiohead, you’ll like The Smile. If you don’t, you probably won’t. It all has a relaxed ambience to it. Soft and melodic, but with lots going on. Jonny playing piano with his left hand and a harp with the right as Thom’s vocals drift over the top of the backbone laid down by Tom without an h. In short it’s cool. Bathed in blue and purple light it really does look lovely and intimate. The band all facing each other in a circle surrounded by strip light LEDs. The beauty of the livestream is the ability to knock it all back to black and white though where it looks even cooler. Cameras cutting between close ups, warped fisheye and a great tracking shot that we ride around the circumference of the stage. The cameras are all remote too, there’s no crew in the way, this has been carefully planned and this, the third and final show that I’m watching is executed perfectly. The band all swap instruments. Jonny as expected between guitars, keys, that aforementioned harp. Thom slinging his guitar round his back to sit at the piano and Skinner (Sorry two T(h)oms in a trio is too confusing) leaving the drum stool to layer gorgeous warm synth sounds into the mix. They’re having fun. Is it as good as what any of them have done before? Well not quite, but this is all new material and aside that Glastonbury stream, the first most of it has been heard. It does sound very good, each song locking into a groove or emotion before taking off. Thom’s lyrics aren’t always the easiest to decipher live, but there’s some catchy stuff “Look at all the pretty lights” still stuck in my head all afternoon. We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings is one of my favourites and definitely one of the heavier faster numbers. They seem to flourish on the slower dreamier stuff mind, but it all feels pretty experimental, like they’re learning to find their way through something. It could almost be a rehearsal, albeit a very slick one… with an adoring audience. The Opposite is wonderfully funky and as they bring the set to a close with the frenetic You’ll Never Work In Television Again I’m left wanting more… and there is, but just a couple of songs, one of which is a cover and feels a bit out of place. I’m looking forward to hearing how these songs sound in the studio when they get round to putting an album out and will definitely be buying a ticket to be in the room when they decide to take this on tour.