​In a nice bit of symmetry, Thom Yorke’s live show returned to Los Angeles for a pair of dates at the Orpheum Theatre December 19 and 20, almost one year to the date where his new solo incarnation debuted at the Fonda Theatre in 2017.

The production, billed as “Thom Yorke Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes,” is performed as a three-piece on a minimalist stage holding three podiums: Yorke, on various, er, modern (analog, musical) boxes, bass, guitar and piano, accompanied by constant collaborator/producer Nigel Godrich, on assortment of tabletop gear and a bit of bass guitar, along with artist Tarik Barri, who is a fully integrated member, creating a backdrop of gorgeous real-time computer-generated visuals set the the music.

The core of the set is divided into a tidy 1/3-1/3-1/3 between Yorke’s two solo LP releases and newer as of yet unreleased material. The show is a fulfilling hour and a half mix of Yorke’s propulsive and punchy beat-driven electronica, with the two musicians play off each other comfortably and the show has the feel more of a jam session than the common pre-programmed electronic set. The sounds alternate from sparser riff-based tunes (“Black Swan”) to more layered miasmic pieces (the brilliant unreleased “Not the News”). Yorke’s voice is the steadying constant, navigating atop and within the noise. It’s an engaging mix, keeping most attendees in the theater standing out of their seats for the majority of the show, awkwardly swaying and head bobbing to the rhythms.

Thom Yorke | tomorrowsmodernboxes.com
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