This November, the Sydney Opera House Forecourt will come alive with the haunting melodies of Thom Yorke, the iconic voice of Radiohead. Marking his first-ever solo tour, Yorke will captivate audiences on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November 2024 with a career-spanning set, featuring Radiohead classics, solo work, and new projects from The Smile.
"In the autumn in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and Japan, I will be alone on stage trying a new kind of solo show thing, playing versions of the songs I have written from my recent and not-so-recent past," Thom Yorke shared, hinting at an intimate and experimental approach to his performances. This solo tour promises to be a transformative experience, offering fans a rare opportunity to witness Yorke's artistry in its purest form.
A multi-award-winning artist, Thom Yorke rose to cultural and critical acclaim throughout the 90s with his boundary-pushing reimagination of contemporary rock, and has soared through recent years with a plethora of wildly innovative solo and collaborative creative projects. Yorke will bring his hauntingly existential lyrics, inimitable falsetto, and rapturous arrangements to the Forecourt for two nights only.
Over a career spanning more than 30 years, Thom Yorke has cemented his place as a musician, artist, and composer of unparalleled influence. As the lead singer of Radiohead, he contributed to nine critically-acclaimed albums, with the band earning several Grammy and Ivor Novello Awards. Their 1997 album OK Computer is even preserved in the US Library of Congress, a testament to its cultural significance.
Beyond Radiohead, Yorke has explored various musical avenues. He released three solo studio albums: The Eraser (2006), Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes (2014), and Anima (2019). He also formed the group Atoms for Peace with producer Nigel Godrich, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joey Waronker, and Mauro Refosco, releasing Amok in 2013. His contributions to TV, film, and theatre projects include the GRAMMY-nominated score for Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria remake, and music for BBC’s Blue Planet II, among others.
Recently, Yorke has collaborated with fellow Radiohead member Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner to form The Smile, releasing two studio albums: A Light For Attracting Attention (2022) and Wall Of Eyes (2024).
Yorke's Opera House debut comes on the heels of two new records. In January 2024, The Smile’s highly anticipated Wall of Eyes captivated audiences, and in April, Yorke released Confidenza, an original soundtrack for Italian director Daniele Luchetti’s film of the same name. These projects exemplify Yorke's continuous evolution as an artist, pushing the boundaries of music and sound.
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Words by AW.
Photo courtesy of Michael Avedon.