Photo: WENN
Day two of Latitude 2015 came to a much-anticipated end with a 'secret' set from Thom Yorke last night (Saturday 18 July).
Rumours of an appearance from Yorke started spreading earlier in the morning following a surprise set from Ed Sheeran the previous night, before Radiohead and Yorke producer and collaborator Nigel Godrich confirmed the news on Twitter.
While Yorke made a special guest appearance during Portishead's epic headline set to perform 'The Rip', fans flocked in droves in order to secure a spot in the i Arena in the intimate setting of the woods. So great was the crowd surge that admittance was restricted and the area closed off for quite some time - with some fans seen climbing trees in order to catch a glimpse.
As Yorke fans gave the scheduled penultimate band Clark a warm reception as they tore through a rioutous hip-hop set, the arena filled out - before Yorke and Nigel Godrich arrived on stage behind the decks.
"My name's Pharrell, and this is Robin Thicke," said Yorke tongue-in-cheek, introducing Godrich."This is an experiment, relax and let our machines talk to you."
They opened with 'Brain In A Bottle' from Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, before kicking into 'Black Swan' from The Eraser and 'Amok' by Atoms For Peace. Then, the 'experiment' met a couple of snags, with the set halting due to technical difficulties - before flowing on into 'The Clock' without fault.
But how was it? Well, in truth, somewhat of a disappointment. Yorke's previous Latitude surprise set in 2009 saw him take to the main stage with a guitar and piano, with his Radiohead and solo work drenching Henham Park in grace, stripped back to let the intrinsic opulence of his songwriting truly shine.
Last night however, this was not the case. 'Letting the machines do the talking', as Yorke put it, largely stripped his tracks of much soul and character. While the peaks of 'Harrowdown Hill' and the stunnning multimedia experience twitching along as Yorke scratched at his guitar showed signs of promise, the lingering taste was ultimately underwhelming, as many fans who'd waited hours to see the hyped set left the arena in droves. An impressive and ambitious 'experiment', but this was not Yorke in his finest form.
Latitude 2015 continues today with performances by Noel Gallagher, Manic Street Preachers, Warpaint, Years & Years, SBTRKT and many more. Check back at Gigwise for the latest news, reviews, photos, updates and more from Latitude.
