We live in an interesting era for live music.
Our social feeds are inundated with DIY concert footage, to the degree that artists and venues have banned the use of smartphones, and we typically know what to expect from the biggest overseas touring acts before they arrive on our shores.
That’s precisely why a recent visit from Thom Yorke was so feverishly anticipated.
In October 2024, the storied Radiohead frontman embarked on an unprecedented one-man show playing a handful of New Zealand dates before landing Down Under.
Reworking his vast, influential songbook on stage, his first Australian shows in more than a decade weren’t without controversy.Â
But even now, fans unable to attend the 57-year-old musician’s one-of-a-kind performances have been clamouring for an insider’s look.
Enter the next best thing: Thom Yorke Live at Sydney Opera House, a new concert film shot over two nights against an iconic forecourt backdrop that’s hosted everything from Crowded House’s 1996 farewell concert to Lorde and The National.
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Beginning with a stirring acoustic rendition of recent TikTok viral hit Let Down, the film includes unique arrangements of Radiohead classics, deep cuts (synth-y Twilight soundtrack loosie Hearing Damage) and new material (Back In The Game, performed alongside British producer Mark Pritchard).
Responsible for capturing these career-spanning shows was Dave May of Tall Story Films.
“Radiohead and Thom Yorke’s music has been one of my biggest influences,” says May, a Walkley and three-time Golden Tripod award winning filmmaker.
He’s been behind the lens for celebrated TV series like Love On The Spectrum and You Can’t Ask That.Â
He’s also an avid music lover, evidenced by a CV that features work for Genesis Owusu, Dom Dolla and, most recently, the music video for Delta Goodrem’s Eurovision entry Eclipse.
“Live music is something that, when it works, it can be transportive. There’s no other feeling like it,” May says.
“Our aim with Thom Yorke’s concert film was to try and evoke that same feeling. And I hope we’ve done that.”
Legendary artist, legendary venue
From The Cure and Caroline Polachek to Wu-Tang Clan, many prestigious artists travel through the Sydney Opera House in any given year.
Even then, “someone of Thom Yorke’s calibre kind of stands that little bit apart,” says Stuart Buchanan, the venue’s head of Screen.
“Because of his longevity, his credibility, the scale of fandom.”
Yorke was “number one” on the venue’s wish-list of filming priorities but “every request that goes out, you prepare yourself for a no.”
Dave May and Stuart Buchanan (right), who says: “We were really thrilled [Thom Yorke and his team] agreed to it.” (Supplied: Sean Walker / Daniel Boud)
May was instrumental in presenting a pitch, especially in the early stages when they “didn’t know what kind of show this was going to be”.
Drawing on his experience shooting Underworld’s Concert Hall performance (intended to “make people feel like they’re at a ’90s rave in the year 2024”), May wanted to shoot Yorke “in a way that encapsulates this unbelievable body of work” and stood apart from a typical concert film.Â
“It’s not just Thom; it’s this team of people around him who have really good instincts and did an incredible job making that live show so special.
“I imagine it was right place, right time that [Yorke and his team] said, ‘Look, this is a show we want to capture. We can see that you’re taking a thoughtful, high-end approach to it. We trust that you guys are going to deliver something that does the show justice.'”
With 34 songs performed over two nights, who decided what made final cut? “Thom chose,” Stuart Buchanan confirms. (Sydney Opera House: Daniel Boud)
Getting the tick of approval was a pinch-yourself moment for the Yorke diehard. But May believes the feeling is mutual.
“The Opera House is one of those few venues in the world that you know for artists it’s on their bucket list as well.”
Buchanan agrees: “We often say that, when artists come to the Opera House, because it is such a special, career-defining moment in many respects, that they step up their show to meet the grandeur and the kind of special nature of the place.
“They feel the need to rise to that occasion. It’s not just your regular stadium show; it’s something quite different.”
A collaborative experience
There’s a striking intimacy to the concert film, capturing Yorke’s multi-tasking artistry as he jumps between stripped-back poignancy, glitched-out raves and — most impressively — slippery bass guitar for the anxious funk of Black Swan.
From a sweeping drone shot of the forecourt to an over-Yorke’s-shoulder perspective of the twinkling Harbour Bridge lights, it’s all done without camera operators awkwardly disrupting the experience.
“Our number one priority was to not impact the show for the audience and the artist,” says May. “That was almost a fun limitation.”
Getting creative with the cinematography produced unexpected angles that went beyond simply reflecting what the audience witnessed.
A rare performance of UNKLE collaboration Rabbit In Your Headlights uses composite shots to enhance the song’s eerie chill. (Supplied: Sydney Opera House)
“One we’re really proud of is that overhead shot, which gives you the impression of Thom in amongst his control room of different instruments and drum machines and gear.”
Some of the film’s best moments are spontaneous: seagulls circling overhead during the bittersweet Dawn Chorus; reactions on the faces of fans hugging, tearing up, dancing in the rain.
Those are some of my favourite parts of the show,” May says.
“We really wanted to not just capture what the show was onstage, but what it felt like to be there. And that’s really different for different people.
“Some are there to celebrate, some to really experience or relive something.”
Another striking feature is the integration of the onstage visuals, which captured Yorke in real-time through various digital filters.
The abstract visuals were a key part of Thom Yorke’s solo performances. (Sydney Opera House: Jordan Munns)
Artsy cross-dissolves elevate the hypnotic coda of Everything In Its Right Place, malfunctioning blocks of colour expanding from a wide shot of the stage to consume the entire frame.
These experimental choices earned the trust of Yorke’s team and “speak to us being all aligned with what the tone of this show was,” May notes.
“We’d show them a cut [and] the majority of the time, it was: tick. Fantastic. It was one of the smoothest edit approvals processes that I’ve been involved with.”
Buchanan was particularly struck by the depth of involvement from Yorke and his audio team.
“The level of care and detail they put into delivering the audio mix was above and beyond.”
May said it felt like a true creative partnership.
“They were amazingly collaborative throughout the process. We’re all fans and we all want this to be the best possible thing, which is amazingly motivating.”
The rise of music concerts
The film’s world premiere, hosted at the Sydney Opera House in January, was “a real celebration” attended by staff, crew, friends and — to May and Buchanan’s surprise — a member of Yorke’s own touring crew.
“He relayed it was a big moment to have a show captured like this,” May says. “It sounds like these were significant shows for that team as well.”
The finished picture is “really quite special”, Buchanan says.
“Having seen a lot of concert films and being a huge fan, I really feel this stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the best that I’ve seen.”
With social media having altered the way we engage with (and behave at) shows, concert films are experiencing a resurgence.
Box office successes from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Talking Heads, as well as K-pop superstars BTS and Stray Kids, has prompted renewed interest in the format not seen since the DVD sales boom of the 2000s.
The Thom Yorke film is part of a “new heyday” for concert films, says Stuart Buchanan, “particularly in cinema as opposed to just going straight to streaming”. (Sydney Opera House: Daniel Boud)
Overseeing the Opera House cinema programming, Buchanan has seen firsthand the rising popularity of live music on the silver screen.
“The number of concert films that come across our desk has increased exponentially in the last year. Almost to the point now where you’re sort of second guessing when a tour is happening, thinking, ‘Is that show gonna be filmed?'”
He says everyone involved was “really determined” that Thom Yorke’s concert film had a theatrical run.
“Hopefully this release is a success, and we can do more and more in the future.”
As for what comes after its limited run on Australian screens?
“All I could say is that there are plans underway for something beyond the cinemas.”
Thom Yorke Live At The Sydney Opera House is showing now in Australian cinemas via Sharmill Films.