Ephemeral Epipsychidions

Until last weekend, Radiohead had never played Prague before, perhaps unsurprising given the band’s penchant for eschewing larger venues in favour of the lesser known outposts of Europe (last years’s gig in the amphitheatre of Nimes being one excellent example).  Whilst cynics may consider the current European tour dates as little more than an extended warm up for Leeds and Reading festivals, it was clear that the Czech capital had no intention of being considered a second-rate destination, with queues forming fully twelve hours before the doors were due to open, and despite some issues with tickets scanners and a woefully primitive inadequate queueing system at the venue in Vystaviste, Radiohead’s performance ensured that the loyal Eastern European fans will be baying for the return of a band at the height of their not inconsiderable powers.

Since the release of In Rainbows, Radiohead have never seemed more comfortable, particularly given previous record Hail to the Thief’s schizophrenia meant no-one could be certain what would come next.  The sonic indecision that has characterised their middle period now infiltrates their live setlists, but where on Hail to the Thief raging guitars and skittish electronica sat uneasily side by side, Radiohead’s performance in Prague was an organic multi-hued whole, exhibiting the same confidence that embodies In Rainbows with the same subtleties and the same spine-tingling moments.

The personification of that confidence is frontman Thom Yorke, who is less a vocalist and more a ringmaster of his own personal circus. During ‘A Wolf at the Door’, one of four tracks from Hail to the Thief, Yorke was ranging, hopping from foot to foot and swinging his microphone like a deranged lunatic, but for ‘All I Need’ and ’Videotape’, he was stock-still, a near-silent crowd reliving the singer’s visions of unrequited, and unbounded, love. Where Radiohead’s live power is most manifest, however, is in the ability to turn songs that sound alienating and forbidding in the studio, and make them positively embracing.  ‘Idioteque’ was a joyous explosion of dance and paranoia in equal measures, ‘The Gloaming’ was surprisingly tender for a pure piece of electronica, and ‘Pyramid Song’ floated gracefully over the night air, aided by some sumptiuous Ebowing from guitarist Jonny Greenwood.

Naturally, the crowd’s largest cheers were reserved for the old favourites from the band’s late 90s period, and they did not disappoint.  ‘Lucky’ soared to the stratosphere, ‘(Nice Dream)’ was a welcome glimpse of the band’s guitar roots, and ‘Exit Music (For a Film)’, timed to start just as dusk descended upon Vystaviste, was spellbindingly, heartbreakingly affecting.  It’s hugely gratifying to see that far from eschewing the songs that made them, Radiohead are returning to them with an enthusiasm that suggests they are rediscovering their earlier music as much as the crowd are.

Where the band go next is anyone’s guess. Prague were treated to one new song, ‘These Are My Twisted Words’, whose moody arpeggios and chromatic changes sounded more like an In Rainbows B-side, but needless to say the band have still some distance left to run.  Snap up a ticket for Leeds or Reading if you don’t have on yet - this European tour is more evidence that Radiohead remain a world-class live act.