Although they’re both 90s alternative rock bands with enduring fanbases, there’s a huge difference between Radiohead and Weezer. While each new Radiohead album delivers challenging musical left turns that dazzle critics and add depth to their catalog, Weezer has been forever haunting the past. Their legacy is solidified by two classic ’90s albums, followed by decades of less crowd-pleasing but always lag-worthy material from their past glory. Fittingly, “In the Garage” from their 1994 self-titled album is the statement of purpose that’s been guiding them ever since: What if we were just kids, tearing up our parents’ house, pretending to be in a kiss?
But what if Radiohead were chasing the past and reeling in it saw you Faces in the mirror, abandoning complex compositions for licking rock hard? The answer can be found in The Smile, a band formed during the pandemic by Radiohead’s most crowd-facing members, vocalist Thom Yorke and lead guitarist and music therapist Jonny Greenwood. Drummer Tom Skinner backs the duo, and although the group is about half the size of Radiohead, their debut album “A Light for Attracting Attention” causes a racket, blending the core strength of ax-heavy Radiohead albums (think “The Bends” mixes). with “In Rainbows”) with the subtlety of post-punk songwriting with the experience of Greenwood’s solo compositions. But even though “Attention” is one of the group’s better strong side projects, it wouldn’t be mistaken for 2022 Radiohead.
After touring the summer in Europe, Smile hit America for their first tour, and their November 20 stop at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom cemented their status as an adventurous live act carving a very different niche out of Radiohead’s formidable shadow.
After starting with the jammed, synthesized opener “Attention” “The Same”, the trio soon got into their own standard playing mode, with Yorke and Greenwood exchanging bass duties while the other handled lead guitar or keys. The second track “Thin Thing” was one of the more aggressive moments of the night, with Greenwood’s staccato guitar picking into conversation with Skinner’s drum parts. The percussionist was the wild card of the night for Radiohead fans, who were used to playing Phillip Selway. Skinner’s style sounds much different: a funky, light touch that tenaciously kept time through the more adventurous sections of York and Greenwood. His phrasing also added another musical touch to the measures, suitable for a trio aiming for a thick sound.
Highlights included the piano ballad “Pana-vision”, which turned into a raucous outro, complete with Greenwood attacking his electric bass with a bow; “Bending Hectic”, an experimental and extended jam that could live alongside the “Thousand Leaves”-era Sonic Youth; the vulgar, understated “smoke”; And he rounds out “Never Work in TV Again,” a gritty, furious rocker, with frantic saxophone help from show opener Robert Stillman.
Smile also returned for the free encore, consisting of two unreleased tracks and the relatively rare York single “Feeling Pulled by Horses”. Although the songs weren’t well known, they triggered the lightest part of the night, pointing to it Notorious dancer York cuts a rug all over the stage.
Credit goes to the audio engineers who kept the show clear as Yorke and Greenwood endlessly tinkered with vocal distortion, switching pedals, changing synths mid-song, and occasionally humping ukuleles. The songs all sounded lush, full, and balanced, with Yorke’s haunting falsetto voice floating atop the mix.
At one point, Yorke specified that “we’re a new band,” a wink to the countless Radiohead T-shirts in the crowd. But given their enthusiasm for playing new songs, as well as the fact that more than a third of the set was devoted to unreleased material on stage, it’s clear that Smile is more than just a pandemic hobby.
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