radiohead and how to like music

yes.

i agree.

so, no one who listens to music listens to music?

weird...

Wow. You guys are in real deep. Stick on a Mitch Ryder or JB's record and fucking dance. If that music doesn't move you, then you might as well be dead.

The word that counted was 'consumes'.

You consume music by listening to it's context.

You enjoy music by listening and being central to it.

Unless it's disc 3 of the scott walker box set, in which case you are to the left of it...

i thought it was INCREDIBLE, especially the first hour with the tracks from 'Hail To The Thief' sounding really excellent. of course i LOVED the screens. as the 'There There' kicked in you had Thom on the left displayed on a narrow but long screen (to match the shape of the human cleverly) facing right while on the other side Johnny was banging away on some drums facing left - creating a really nice dynamic image. better still was the realtime 'scratching' of the visual of Johnny playing guitar at the end of 'Go To Sleep' - pretty groundbreaking stuff i feel (live VJIng of live footage is a pretty new thing no?!) 'Backdrifts' I found particularly phenomenal and it made quite an incision. After looking at www.58hours.com they seem to be changing the setlist all the time which is admirable tho frustrating, but i guess i'm not that bothered about not hearing 'Karma Police' or 'In Limbo' or whatever.

oh and ADF were very good too, certainly the last few tracks got me going. i was sat right at the back on the left side tho, hmph

well, yeah the best thing was the 'visuals' (ack). the only time ive seen a sort of video relay of a show that actually contributed a hell of a lot to the performance. in real time! i really like this bit where (dont know the song name), the guitarist did the 'wig out' thing, and messed about, but it was kinda glitchy, like he had some pedal or something that had the 'oval-effect' or something. then on the screen they mirrored it with a video of thom yorke dancing but, like, it was skipping. glitch-rock? this is a good genre idea btw.
stevem, i was at the back on the left too! did you hear the radio-family who had all come down to the gig, with mum in raptures 'IM SO FUCKING SPECIAL!' she shouted in resposnse to thoms angst....

yeh that was the end of 'Go To Sleep' ambrose - it blew me away

i thank you for this question because i too in the past have questioned whether i am REALLY enjoying 'this live stadium rock experience thing' or indeed festivals, even smaller gigs. last night i felt was probably one of the best concerts (for that's what it was really) i've experienced PURELY because of what i was witnessing on the stage and hearing around me. i was genuinely impressed in a way i rarely am with this kind of thing because of those same 'filters' in my head. dare i say at points it reminded me a little of what Zoo TV must've been like (which i thought must've been GREAT ENTERTAINMENT at the time no matter how many ways you could slag it off). last night you had it all - awesome vocals and musicianship, beautiful songs ranging from trad melody-driven constructs to the more avant-garde/experimental/leftfield electronica (which i REALLY do think Radiohead have done well), unpredictability throughout (the inconsistent setlists - when 'Creep' started up you could hear gasps and yelps of shock and excitement all around - sad fuckers, ha!), groundbreaking, wonderfully apt and synchronous visuals, the sense of mastery on display and the sense that nobody was going through a bigger and faster rollercoaster of emotions than the people on the stage...

not bad really

Do you really think it needed to be two hours plus though? (It was in Cardiff so I'm assuming London was at least that.) The unpredictability of the setlist was a great credit to them, I thought, but playing for that long is only going to work if you like everythng they play. Which only the most uncritical slavering Radiohead fan is going to do, surely.

I was however cheered to discover that Thom Yorke dances in exactly the same way as me.

Thom has Da Funk, dude. Its amazing how much more of a relaxed, confident frontman he's become, dancing, making jokes, actually engaging with the audience. Enjoying himself, hell, looking HAPPY.

I ended up seeing them both nights in the end, I thought both gigs rocked. I was right up close to the stage on both nights though, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much had I been sitting at the back of that big soulless air hangar of a venue.

Things I thought were great/surprising over the two nights:

Thom's solo version of I Will - a week after Bush has come to visit and you hear this frail, fragile protest voice in this gigantic venue, it just seemed so important.

You And Whose Army - Thom at the piano, with a camera RIGHT UP against his face, and really using it to take this piss, mocking Bush and Blair, wiggling eyebrows, deliberately pulling ridiculous faces, and finally just cracking up laughing towards the end of the song.

The Gloaming - both nights. Just this immensely heavy bass rumble underneath such a spindly song, with Thoms vocals cut up and glitched about and then turning into this wall of noise at the end. Nice jazz drumming as well. They played it first on Wednesday's set (the 'intense' set, I think that was, as opposed to the crowdpleasing singalong set yesterday). It made me realise once again just how Radiohead live have become almost a different (and better) band to on record, almost every song was mangled in some kind of new way.

The immensely fucked up WOOMP bass noise that got heavier and heavier towards the end of Myxamatosis. I can still feel my insides wobble.

The live microhousey version of Kid A, with a new melody sung over the top of it.

All the weird shit that Jonny Greenwood was doing up there - in some ways he's like Kevin Shields with a few Oval records - the weird glitch-axe soloing at the end of Go To Sleep (I don't like the song, but the end was great), the way Backdrifts has grown this atonal psychedelic backwards guitar solo over the top of it really filling out the song. The huge nasty squally sound that they layered over the top of Idioteque - listening to the recorded versions now they all sound so half-formed, like if Radiohead could find a way to recreate this all on an album they really *would* be the band so many people say they are.

And that's without even mentioning the more conventional stadium rock singalong stuff.

i admit things cooled a little for me in the second hour but no, i was glad of it's length - so many songs to fit in but it was well paced and nothing felt rushed except the superb I Might Be Wrong, heh)

Thom with a silly face
http://www.nunuworldmusic.co.uk/thom.jpg

Earl's Court is a shit venue though. We were standing, but it still didn't have the excitment of a proper gig. But at least the sound was excellent.

god i wish i'd been standing now (esp. as everyone had to stand where i was anyway) and nearer the front. Thom's face at the piano was incredible, the footage had this Super-8 quality to it making it look a bit Blair Witch at times. the dancing was sensational also. i guess becoming a Dad has loosened him up, and how.

and i WISH i'd gone to Glastonbury :(

The reaction of those around you is so important though - I quite liked ADF, they weren't brilliant and sounded a bit dated now and not as good as with the old frontman, but I can imagine in a packed club with people going mental it'd be difficult not to get carried away in it. Standing in a big arena less than a quarter full with people just standing there and moving doesn't have anywhere near the same effect.

See also the difference between seeing The Rapture in the middle of an indifferent Glasto crowd or in a sweaty club with people going mad for it.

Yeah. I couldn't believe people were sitting down on the floor during ADF. How could they???

They were saving themselves for Radiohead (and if it was people on the front row, they are the "hardcores" and have probably seen ADF quite a few times now on the tour).

I'm feeling terrible about not making it over for these shows now.

how did they make it sound so good in such a bit venue? the sound and visuals were totally impressive. thin tellys are way cool.

They have very great sound guys... If you ever see them again, you should go talk to the cool guys at the sound desk.

Ambrose - were you put off by the idea of 'stadium cliches' or attracted by them? Or both? Its weird though, because even those cliches (lighters in the air excepted) seemed to be completely recontextualised.

I mean, leading the crowd in mass clapping in a song like We Suck Young Blood?! No self-respecting stadium rock band would even dream of putting that song in a setlist let alone in the encore while making it into a big communal audience participation moment.

You guys have whetted my appetite for their gig at the SECC on Sunday. It'll be the 5th time i've seen them this year, 9th rh gig in toto. Feeling excited now.

I saw them on the Wednesday night, like everyone else I was very impressed by how the good the sound was (esp. being stuck almost at the back of the hall). Very few of the oldies got an airing - abt 3 songs each from The Bends and OK Computer - and I enjoyed how they concentrated the first hour on the more 'groovy' songs. They didn't play Creep, which was a blessed relief.

I tend to agree with ambrose about only listening to context these days, but I thought it was to RHead's credit that I was able to suspend that and enjoy what I was listening to.

yeah my friend had tickets for both night and chose to go to Wed, and gave u8s the tickets for thurs, so she was pissed off about missing the klassixxx.

but despite my 0 knowledge of radiohead, it does seem that they cant be bothered with that tortured shit any more. like, they seem pretty comfortable with themselves. hence the ending of the self imposed 'no creep' embargo (or is that urban myth?), along with the others. they see mmore happy to give ver people what they want.

radioheadf got happy. thank fuck for that. i mean, not i myself am particularly bothered, but the less angsty poses around, the better. learn to have fun dammit!

my main gripe: that freezing concrete arena (+their image) was crying out for Radiohead to enter to the strains of "Ground Zero"!!!!!

i couldnt't give a toss if they played anything from the first 2 albums or not but it was quite nice to hear 'Creep' really - the DADUNK!....DADUNK!.. was deliberately cranked right up and sounded great.

hence the ending of the self imposed 'no creep' embargo (or is that urban myth?)
A bit of a myth. They've never completely stopped playing it, it just became a bit more of a rarity. They've been playing it a lot more lately though, and without the usual sense of concession or purposeful half-assedness.

They do seem really happy to be playing though, these days.

Plus they played this very minimal, bassy-glitchy thing over the PA before they came on. It might have been Pole actually. I don't much like Pole these days, but it was nice to hear it in that context.

Right before they came on? That would have been their b-side, Where Bluebirds Fly (if you're talking about the Thursday show).

yeh, it got dropped out very abruptly tho which irked me. fortunately the drums of 'There There' kicked in and all was immediately right with the universe

No, this lasted for abt half an hour before they came on. Made a nice change from the Beta Band on endless repeat play at south park.

Which single is that from Melissa? My bro is usually pretty dilligent abt picking up the singles for the bsides but has been slacking for the past couple of singles.

Where Bluebirds Fly was one of the two b-sides for There There (along with the excellent but horribly titled Paperbag Writer). I haven't seen any of the shows on this tour so I don't know what they're playing before the gigs (for all of the shows I've seen this year they've been playing the Trojan Records Rock Steady box set). But if I had to venture a guess, I'd say it was Consumed by Plastikman, as they've played that previously before gigs and it sounds like what you're describing.

yes we had about 30 mins of Trojan Rock Steady last night too

meaning nathan and i were somehow at different Radiohead concerts at the same place ???

oh sorry he was there Wednesday

heh, the reggae kicked in on the way out on Weds. Melissa, it might well have been Consumed, it's been ages since I last listened to it.

Oh, Thom Yorke and his chicken-on-a-hotplate dancing. It was such a great moment when he cracked up in 'you and whose army', the gurning and eyebrow-wiggling getting too much for him. It was the first Radiohead gig I've been able to see the screens at, and you could hear the entire audience giggling at the end of each line. What I found wierd - in a good way - was the sense of connection, even though they didn't really say that much. I've been too used to gigs where the band are close enough to the audience that they start chatting back, and I was a bit worried that that would be lost in a stadium.

I think it did have to be two hours - there's such a weight of material to get through. The one I was at was a bit HttT+Greatest Hits (although no 'Creep'! yay!), and I'm not the greatest fan of their Bends-era stuff, but I think even if you're not that fond of one song the joy of the people in the audience who *love* it is enough. And I've been on a bit of a Radiohead-gig spree this year, so I wasn't in the kind of mood where I'd die if I did not hear some random song from their back catalogue. I think having specific expectations can really kill your enjoyment of a gig - they're one of the things that can distract me, that can prevent me from enjoying just what is going on.

I don't think I've been to a single gig where my mind has been on nothing but what is going on at that point in time, what I can see and feel and hear - and realising that always makes me wonder if I'm really enjoying the gig or just trying to convince myself I am. Because it really isn't just the music and the band and the visuals, it's the girl behind you talking to her boyfriend about how she went to see David Gray (!!!), the ache in your feet, whether you left the oven on at home, the fact that no-one else is dancing while you're bouncing about like a flea on amphetamines. It's a load of I suppose minor irritations and distractions but the very fact that they're there makes me worry that I'm not concentrating on the right things. There's this idea I have that if I can be distracted from the band/visuals/music that means I want to be, that I'm looking for something more than the visuals/music/band which should be all I really need.

(ah dammit write this about 25 posts back and forgot to click 'submit'.)

there were these two dumbass Sloaney girls in the next row from me who wouldnt bloody shut up throughout, and they only recognised 'Creep' and 'No Surprises' it seemed. still best thing ever tho.

If you don't like Radiohead, you probably don't like music at all!

So, did anyone else go to one of the gigs?

Cis - I get that occasionally, only not really last night - apart from when the girl in front of me talked all over the quiet bit at the start of Exit Music REALLY LOUDLY. About how she fell over drunkenly on the way back from the bar. Honestly, if she'd carried on much longer I probably would've killed her.

Well of course I was also distracted by the accasional worry that SOMEONE might have lost his ticket or done something equally stupid and be missing the gig. ;)

i love radiohead. i love music for it feel, for what it does. i dont' know if that make any sense.

Very jealous for y'all, sounded like a great show (but the LA one I saw was grand, so hey).

i just 'listen' to the context.

I think this is a very key thing Ambrose said here...

like, nows theres that niroth thread, maybe i like that! if i listen to it, i'll just hear the phrase 'un-necro' and that would be wicked! qed i like it! i like anything! maybe!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

fuck it, i dunno.

hmmm... I would have never given the new Twine album on Ghostly even a cusory listen until the saw the phrase glitch-goth being bandied around. Fortunately it's okay, in that reactivating-slowdive/seefeel trend that seems to be running through electronica at the minute.

I agree, I'm also in it for the pizza.

Flippant comments about the Ice Frosted Kings of Black Metal are Un-Necro.

Cease this Un-Necro behaviour forthwith.
Search the net for "the 101 rules of black metal" for further answers to your black metal problems.

Kill the Non-Necrotic! (uuuhhhhhhh....that might be a problem)

Hail!

btw, "Un-Necro" is copyright NecroBastard 2003.

Biters!

How bizarre!

I enjoy music by disliking Radiohead.

Uh, we were talking about Un-Necro.

shit, you guys have made me so excited. never seen radiohead before (this could be attributed to the fact that i live in australia and they haven't been here for 6 bloody years!!!) but have got my ticket to their gig in april. i have to travel 1500 kilometres to get there, but thats all part of the fun i guess. oh boy oh boy oh boy...thanks. my hopes are now officially high. hooroo

I saw this same show (Earl's Court) and it was one of the best live sets I've ever seen a band play, hands down, and I am not a raving Radiohead fanatic either. I just wish it had been in a better venue and I'd had a better line of sight. It's very rare that I'm at a large show where I feel the band is fully captivating the audience and delivering the goods. There were moments when they were so on it was chilling. And I was glad to see that they were having fun and weren't so po-faced live as their reputation would lead you to believe (the only time I'd seen them before was a Thom York live solo set on their first US tour).

Earl's Court show was big and fun, especially given inherent difficulties of playing in a big cavernous depressing venue full of Radiohead fans.

Does anyone know what guitar pedals or whatever you'd need to do things similar to Greenwood's weird/excellent stuttery noises on Go To Sleep?

just a dd5 delay pedal. the hold function allows you create loops as long as you step down on the pedal (to a certain time limit of course) so if you stomp on and off it rapidly while doing wicked shit it sounds great.

Oh. I think I have one of those. Smart.

more than anything i was impressed with the mastery with which jonny made the wierd chirping-birds/wind-through-the-trees sounds at the end of exit music for a film. i mean, i know he used some delay and reverb, but the crystal-clear controlled sound of the shit he was doing was just awe-inspiring.

Hehe, that guitar skronk in creep sounds like the guitar is sayin "chick-en - chick-en".

Blatantly Un-Necro.