Radiohead in Concert
Radiohead introduced itself with a shot heard ‘round the world — a hiccup of distortion that thrust us into the fuzz-blasted chorus of 1993's "Creep." That self-loathing anthem became one of the defining singles of the alternative-rock revolution, but the Oxford, U.K., quintet were quick to distance themselves from the post-grunge histrionics of their hit single. On their 1995 sophomore release, ‘The Bends,' the band proved they could craft songs as elegant and majestic as the Britpop chart-toppers of the day, but with a more finely tuned ear for cinematic texture. That latent exploratory tendency would flourish on 1997's future-shocked ‘Ok Computer,' an epic meditation on pre-millennial tension and encroaching technocracy; the album transformed Radiohead into the most celebrated rock band in the world. But while that staggering achievement would count as an indisputable career peak for any other band, in Radiohead's case, they were just getting warmed up.
With the dizzying double shot of ‘Kid A' (2000) and ‘Amnesiac' (2001), the band entered a fascinating new phase. Taking cues from the fractured electronica of the Warp Records label and avant-garde icons like Can and Miles Davis, Radiohead refashioned themselves as studio scientists subjecting their songs to radical explorations in dissonant texture and hypnotic rhythms, often reducing frontman Thom Yorke's famously dramatic voice to a subliminal detail in the process. Even as they drifted back toward traditional rock sounds on subsequent releases like ‘Hail to the Thief' (2003) and ‘In Rainbows' (2007), they were shot through an experimental filter, and ultimately driven more by feel than form. And while their 2016 release, ‘A Moon Shaped Pool,' eased off the electronics to highlight guitarist Jonny Greenwood's growing prowess as an orchestral arranger (cultivated through his sideline career as an Oscar-nominated film composer), it retained the distinctly disorienting quality of the band's 21st-century output. But no matter how far out into left field they venture on record, Radiohead have remained a compelling, crowd-pleasing live act, making their most outré material sound like perfectly natural arena-rock fodder, and coaxing out their songs' burbling rhythmic undercurrents into club-worthy danceable grooves.