Atoms for Peace: The Roundhouse, 24-26 July 2013
Is that Bootsy Collins wearing a Thom Yorke suit?
'Supergroup' is an odd term though. It’s open to debate. The Travelling Wilburys? A supergroup by nature, but a supergroup? On stage, Atoms for Peace are a bona fide supergroup. Here is the frontman of arguably the most progressive of mega-rock groups. But because it's Thom Yorke this is a sideshow, at first glance. The evening does prove however, that it is just possible that this is a sideshow that could upstage the main act.
While Thom Yorke's Eraser project was largely a solo effort, Atoms is a far more distracting and thrilling proposition. Nigel Godrich is the ever-present. On stage, his emergence could be a reckoning moment for clever desk-bound producers everywhere. Not that his significance was ever in doubt.
This year's venture gives us a loosened Thom Yorke. He's making shapes and revelling in the fleshed-out funky beats that previously oozed from between the minor chords of Radiohead releases.
This is serious fun. Yorke appears to be in his element but, it's also an adventure rammed with mesmerising musicianship and infused endorphin thunderbolts.
Sometimes, it is possible to forget that just over there, a few metres away, is a renowned gloom merchant. Not that this moniker (Flea) has ever made any sense. Overwhelmingly, Radiohead's output is a reassuring message that we're not alone.
One Radiohead-related aspect is worth a thought. What if Amok, Atoms' first album, had been a Radiohead record? It's quite possible it would have been rejected - by fans and critics.On stage, this is trippy and melodic, but still there are guitars everywhere. Most of all, it's an electrocuted samba-soaked funk. It's the extension of the recent Radiohead output that has proved challenging to some of their fanbase.
Over the two nights that RCUK was at the Roundhouse, some songs are less distinctive than others but there are no fillers. What some songs may lack in traditional shape or structure they more than make up for in beguiling beats and funked up thrills and spills. The result is nearly two hours of pulsating tribal transcendence.
On a beach, in the moonlight, you might make up your own dance moves. At the Roundhouse for three nights, it's more about sharing sweaty exchanges with an international crowd who were strangers when you arrived.
Atoms for Peace tour is lengthy and has required a significant level of commitment from a group of musicians who are stars in their own right. Surely it's far too much fun to be a one-off.
The Roundhouse's annexe this summer is
Maybe next time round there'll be some playful covers: Dr Beat from Miami Sound Machine, or Gloria Estefan's Rhythm is Gonna Get You.
Finally, fashion. Things that make you go, Hmmm. Men in vests. No, not Rab C Nesbitt. Peter Andre you say? Nope. But a svelte Thom Yorke in a black vest - this is the shape of things to come.
Nigel Watts
.... Now time for a cuppa .....
Photos HERE