The Smile, a band formed during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, and Sons of Kemet’s drummer, Tom Skinner, headlined the third night of the BBC 6 Music Festival on March 9. The London Contemporary Orchestra joined them for a lengthy set at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. They then played a seven-song set alone, comprised mainly of songs from their first album, 2022’s A Light For Attracting Attention. Gossip headlined the venue the night before, being joined by Alison Moyet on a version of Yazoo’s Situation, while earlier in the day, CMAT was joined by John Grant for Where Are Your Kids Tonight?
The Smile released their second album, Wall Of Eyes, in January, including the singles Bending Hectic, Wall Of Eyes, and Friend Of A Friend. In a four-star review of Wall Of Eyes, NME wrote: “Where previously the comparisons to their Radiohead catalogue could warp expectations, the breadth of the material on offer here suggest that it could, eventually, flip that dynamic right on its head.” The band’s UK and European tour continued throughout the rest of March, with dates in London, Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam, Brighton, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, and Alexandra Palace.
Thom Yorke recently wrote the score for the upcoming Italian film, Confidenza, directed by Daniele Luchetti. The film stars Elio Germano, Vittoria Puccini, and Isabella Ferrari, and follows a man who works in a run-down Roman high school and a rebellious student who becomes enchanted with his lessons. A few years later, they meet and become romantically entangled, only for the relationship to end after the man opens up about his deepest secrets.
The Smile’s set at the BBC 6 Music Festival is available to watch on BBC iPlayer, with clips of the performance posted on YouTube
Read the full article on NME here: Read More