That’s precisely why a recent visit from Thom Yorke was so feverishly anticipated.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Reworking his vast, influential songbook on stage, his first Australian shows in more than a decade weren’t without controversy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> to Lorde<\/a> and The National<\/a>.<\/p>\n Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n Beginning with a stirring acoustic rendition of recent TikTok viral hit<\/a> 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<\/a>).<\/p>\n Responsible for capturing these career-spanning shows was Dave May of Tall Story Films.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n He’s been behind the lens for celebrated TV series like Love On The Spectrum and You Can’t Ask That.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Eurovision entry Eclipse<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Live music is something that, when it works, it can be transportive. There’s no other feeling like it,” May says.<\/p>\n “Our aim with Thom Yorke’s concert film was to try and evoke that same feeling. And I hope we’ve done that.”<\/p>\n Legendary artist, legendary venue<\/p>\n From The Cure<\/a> and Caroline Polachek<\/a> to Wu-Tang Clan<\/a>, many prestigious artists travel through the Sydney Opera House in any given year.<\/p>\n Even then, “someone of Thom Yorke’s calibre kind of stands that little bit apart,” says Stuart Buchanan, the venue’s head of Screen<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Because of his longevity, his credibility, the scale of fandom.”<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n 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)<\/p>\n 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”.<\/p>\n Drawing on his experience shooting Underworld’s Concert Hall performance<\/a> (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.\u00a0<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “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.'”<\/p>\n With 34 songs performed over two nights, who decided what made final cut? “Thom chose,” Stuart Buchanan confirms. (Sydney Opera House: Daniel Boud)<\/p>\n Getting the tick of approval was a pinch-yourself moment for the Yorke diehard. But May believes the feeling is mutual.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “They feel the need to rise to that occasion. It’s not just your regular stadium show; it’s something quite different.”<\/p>\n A collaborative experience<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 most impressively \u2014 slippery bass guitar for the anxious funk of Black Swan.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “Our number one priority was to not impact the show for the audience and the artist,” says May. “That was almost a fun limitation.”<\/p>\n Getting creative with the cinematography produced unexpected angles that went beyond simply reflecting what the audience witnessed.<\/p>\n A rare performance of UNKLE collaboration Rabbit In Your Headlights uses composite shots to enhance the song’s eerie chill. (Supplied: Sydney Opera House)<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Those are some of my favourite parts of the show,” May says.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “Some are there to celebrate, some to really experience or relive something.”<\/p>\n Another striking feature is the integration of the onstage visuals, which captured Yorke in real-time through various digital filters.<\/p>\n The abstract visuals were a key part of Thom Yorke’s solo performances. (Sydney Opera House: Jordan Munns)<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n Buchanan was particularly struck by the depth of involvement from Yorke and his audio team.<\/p>\n “The level of care and detail they put into delivering the audio mix was above and beyond.”<\/p>\n May said it felt like a true creative partnership.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n The rise of music concerts<\/p>\n The film’s world premiere, hosted at the Sydney Opera House in January, was “a real celebration” attended by staff, crew, friends and \u2014 to May and Buchanan’s surprise \u2014 a member of Yorke’s own touring crew.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n The finished picture is “really quite special”, Buchanan says.<\/p>\n “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.”<\/p>\n With social media having altered the way we engage with (and behave at) shows, concert films are experiencing a resurgence.<\/p>\n Box office successes from Taylor Swift<\/a>, Beyonc\u00e9<\/a>, Talking Heads<\/a>, as well as K-pop superstars BTS<\/a> and Stray Kids<\/a>, has prompted renewed interest in the format not seen since the DVD sales boom of the 2000s.<\/p>\n 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)<\/p>\n Overseeing the Opera House cinema programming, Buchanan has seen firsthand the rising popularity of live music on the silver screen.<\/p>\n “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?'”<\/p>\n He says everyone involved was “really determined” that Thom Yorke’s concert film had a theatrical run.<\/p>\n “Hopefully this release is a success, and we can do more and more in the future.”<\/p>\n As for what comes after its limited run on Australian screens?<\/p>\n “All I could say is that there are plans underway for something beyond the cinemas.”<\/p>\n![\"Composite](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c7493396c9c4979c30bcfb5cd028106b.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Wide](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4e5e9c1e654bfccb4e9787b9e8896390.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Outline](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1b3393d54e5e2ea6e6098c917ab3b21d.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Thom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/4d5bca0fdf6e9d3e69a8774a7e4dbc9f.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Thom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/60c03a3c13de5e56397bf793f6d7c015.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n