Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood Form New Band the Smile, Performing Tonight for Glastonbury 2021 Livestream
Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have announced a new project called the Smile. Joining them in the band are producer Nigel Godrich and drummer Tom Skinner (aka Hello Skinny). The quartet makes its debut today (May 22) at the ticketed Glastonbury livestream event Live at Worthy Farm. The livestream begins at 7 p.m. BST (2 p.m. Eastern), and the Smile are slated to play at 11 p.m. BST (6 p.m. Eastern).
The Smile take their take from a Ted Hughes poem. According to a press release, they’ll debut new, original music at Live at Worthy Farm. Glastonbury co-organizer Emily Eavis said in a statement, “We’re truly honoured that Thom and Jonny have chosen our livestream event to premiere their brand new project, The Smile. Sadly, we are all unable to gather together at Worthy Farm, but alongside sets from other wonderful performers, this has all the makings of a special Glastonbury moment—and one we can broadcast to the world.”
The guys of Radiohead are no strangers to side projects. Thom Yorke formed Atoms for Peace with Nigel Godrich, Flea, Joey Waronker, and Mauro Refosco in 2009; they released their debut AMOK in 2013. In addition, he plays shows with his Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes band of Godrich and Tarik Barri.
While Jonny Greenwood does not always name his collaborations, he works often with non-Radiohead musicians for his film scores and soundtracks. In addition, in 2015, he released Junun with Shye Ben Tzur and the Rajasthan Express.
Check out “The History of Thom Yorke on Other People’s Songs” on the Pitch.