On August 13, the band The Smile of Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood will perform on the stage of Sigulda's Medieval castle. In addition to the two mentioned heavyweights, drummer Tom Skinner also participates in this project. This will be The Smile's first and so far only concert in the Baltic States, and it will feature hits from both the band's debut album and the one to-be-released at the end of January.
Tickets here, pre-sale on Wednesday, January 10, at 11.00AM. General ticket sales from Friday, January 12, at 11.00AM.
The Smile project, whose name is taken from the title a poem by the British poet and writer Ted Hughes, was born during the pandemic, when it was difficult to make music together. Greenwood recalls,
“We didn't have much time, but we just wanted to finish some songs together. It's been very stop-start, but it's felt a happy way to make music.”
Radiohead drummer Philip Selway comments that it's healthy for the members to explore different projects and "see what these other musical voices can do with your ideas."
Some critics call The Smile the reincarnation of Radiohead, a new facet that fuses bits and pieces of post-punk, progressive rock, afrobeat and neo-electronica. As mentioned, The Smile consists of the creative core of the cult band Radiohead - Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Jonny Greenwood (guitar, bass, keyboards), as well as Tom Skinner, the drummer and percussionist of various projects, including the jazz band Sons of Kemet.
The Smile made their debut in a surprise performance for streaming of the Glastonbury Festival in May 2021, followed by 3 more concerts in London. In the spring of 2022, the band's debut album "A Light For Attracting Attention" was released, produced by Radiohead's long-term producer Nigel Godrich. Considering the talent of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, it is no surprise that this album was very well received by both the critics and the audience, reaching number 5 in the UK album chart.
In the spring of 2023, the members of The Smile revealed that they started writing new material. The first single Bending Hectic was released on June 20 and features the strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra. Stereogum describes the track as an “epic that starts out soft and quiet and builds into a splendorous stomping beast."
The Smile announced their second album, “Wall of Eyes”, on November 13, alongside another single, "Wall of Eyes", with a music video directed by award-winning filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, aka PTA. The album was produced by Sam Petts-Davies and is set for release on 26 January 2024.
To support "Wall of Eyes" album, The Smile will visit the Baltics for the very first time. Therefore, the concert in Sigulda is simply a unique opportunity that must be used by every Radiohead music fan.
