Radiohead at the BBC

The anticipation I felt can be best expressed by the feelings that hit me when stopped outside the entrance, two from the front, for what felt like an hour: panic, replaced by worry mixed with occasional nausea. Had they filled up already? Would I get in? Had the Beeb overbooked? The hype the BBC had given the event and their attempts to develop the sense that something very special was about to happen, served to dull the emotions more than anything. It simply felt too good to be true. The fact the gig was on April 1st had some que-ers suggesting that the BBC were going all out to win the unofficial April Fools media medal for 2008. I knew the events team's smiles were fake...

The next thing Radiohead were there on stage. They did not disappoint. The band chose an interesting set from mostly In Rainbows material, with some Kid A and Hail to the Thief thrown in. The perfectionism the quintet aspires to was obvious from the off, as they worked into the lively 15 Step, and followed this with the equally up tempo Bodysnatchers. With the band enjoying themselves it was inevitable that the seated audience got up to join the fun. Leading the dancing was Thom Yorke, who matched his vocal presence with a somewhat manic physical one, full of energy and passion.

Later in the day Thom would tell Colin Murray, Radio 1 DJ: 'I store up a lot of my feelings about things and, um, let them out on stage'. This lovely understatement was evident during the performance, and heightened an emotional quality in the band's sound which is not as obvious in their studio recordings. Similarly the drumming of Phil Selway, underplayed in the studio version of In Rainbows, was more prominent here, most notably in Videotape, where Phil added a rythmic drum roll to Johnny Greenwood's beats giving the song a more organic feel.

In response to the BBC asking them to play a mix of old and new, Radiohead chose a song to 'keep the critics guessing': the lively and indignant rock song Myxomatosis from Hail to the Thief, which proved to be one of the best performances on the day. It was refreshing to see a band throw themselves entirely into a song that was at odds with the rest of the set's material, and come out of it giving credence to the claim they are the best rock band in the world.

The band's afforementioned perfectionism was most notable on their performance of Optimistic. Having performed the song once in the middle of the set, they also played it as their encore peice as they 'did not feel it worked that first time'. The second performace was a lot sharper, and felt just as fresh as the one they had done twenty minutes earlier.

The highlight of the gig was Videotape. The band's answer to Motion Picture Soundtrack, and already a favourite of mine from In Rainbows, was taken to new heights here at the BBC. Vocals expertely delivered by Yorke (the best 'wail' in rock music) and a simple piano line were layered over the pained synths of Colin Greenwood, and the hypnotising beats of Johnny and Phil, who seemingly playing off each other, to nurture the song into a crescendo of emotion. The swell eventually disappated to leave Thom's voice filling the Radio Theatre claiming: 'I know today has been the most perfect day I've ever seen', which left us wondering, is he wrong?

The seminal moment of the gig for me in fact showed itself in the penultimate track, Morning Bell. With the audience mezmerized in the music, and the harshness of the line 'Cut the kids in half', lost on them, Johnny Greenwood's guitar cut through Thom's vocal providing what I can only describe as the release that the majority of the audience had been waiting for, and with it a realisation: this is Radiohead. Are they good? Beyond any doubt.

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