Concert review: The Smile w/ Robert Stillman | 07.20.23, The Factory (with photo gallery)

Photo of the Smile’s Jonny Greenwood by Bryan J. Sutter

Think “Radiohead,” think “progressive jazz-rock fusion.” That’s the basic concept of the Smile, a British art rock trio featuring two members of Radiohead (vocalist Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood) and London-based jazz musician Tom Skinner. The talented blokes played a powerful and sophisticated set at the Factory, which has quickly become one of my favorite St. Louis area venues.

This was my third time at the Factory and I was surprised by the size of the crowd—the parking lot was almost completely full. The Radiohead connection probably explains this. I just hope the crowd didn’t expect to hear anything like Radiohead’s 90s hit “Creep”—the evening’s entertainment wasn’t so familiar or conventional. Then again, anyone who has followed their career since Kid A knows that Radiohead left conventional pop rock behind decades ago.

The show began with a set from saxophonist Robert Stillman, who also joined the Smile for several songs. Stillman’s avant-garde jazz stylings—reminiscent of John Coltrane’s final albums—provided a tasty palette cleanser. It was a natural pairing with the Smile, whose setlist was more like a series of movements than a list of songs.

The Smile’s debut, A Light for Attracting Attention, should please anyone who enjoyed Radiohead’s last release, 2016’s A Moon-Shaped Pool. The album compares favorably to anything Radiohead released in the 2000s, and it’s tempting to call it “the next Radiohead album.” These songs sounded great live, especially the more melodic and rocking numbers. The band rightly ended their first set with “You Will Never Work in Television Again,” my favorite number from the album. The band played almost the entirety of the album and even snuck in a Thom Yorke solo number (“Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses”).

You may be waiting years for the next Radiohead tour, so I suggest you see The Smile while you can. At $65 per ticket, the show is also far less expensive—a plus for Radiohead’s cash-strapped Gen X and millennial fans. | Rob Von Nordheim