Thom Yorke, Battles + HEALTH dominate Pitchfork Music Fest Paris

PanARMENIAN.Net - After a somewhat disappointing surprise appearance at Latitude Festival earlier this summer, anticipation was high to see how much Radiohead’s Thom Yorke could improve his Tomorrow's Modern Boxes live show to make it worthy of headlining an event of this stature, Gigwise reports.

As he and producer and collaborator Nigel Godrich stepped out on stage before huge screens rushing through hypnotic visuals for 'The Clock', they kicked off a flawlessly tight and mesmeric set - leaning heavily on Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, but adding a twitchier and more introverted mechanical menace to tracks from The Eraser and AMOK.

“As he jerks across the stage and howls into the vast Parisian venue, we realise that this is the most immersed and involved Yorke has been in a performance in quite some years. The intimate sounds of his solo work truly translate live, inspiring sheer hero worship throughout Pitchfork Music Festival Paris 2015. This shall be a talking point for years to come.

And that's saying something - especially as he had to follow a rave-inducing set of post-rock and twisted pop insanity from Battles. A vocalist down they may be, but the countless idiosyncratic quirks and rushes of their sound make them one of the most joyful live acts you could hope to see.

We'd say the same for HEALTH, who set the bar high early in the evening on day two. Death Magic may well be one of the greatest albums of the year, but the sheer abandon with which they perform makes for an out of body experience to witness. That may sound like too much hyperbole, but they must be seen to be believed.

Pitchfork Paris 2015 ends today (October 31) with performances from Hinds, Father John Misty, Ratatat and many more.