New Musical Band Named ‘The Smile’ To Debut At Glastonbury Live-Stream Concert

A new band with members of Radiohead will be special guests at a live broadcast in Glastonbury on Saturday, it has been learned by the entertainment community.

Named The Smile, the group includes Radiohead musician Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood, and jazz drummer Tom Skinner.

First Set Of Original Music

They will be playing the “first set of new, original music” during the show, which starts at 19:00 BST.

Other acts in the live concert include Haim, Michael Kiwanuka and Coldplay.

“We’re truly honoured that Thom and Jonny have chosen our live-stream event to premiere their brand new project, The Smile,” said Glastonbury’s Emily Eavis in a statement.

“Unfortunately, we all can’t get together at Worthy Farm, but alongside sets from other wonderful performers, this has all the makings of a special Glastonbury moment.”

Cancellation Of The In-Person Concert

A five-hour Live At Worthy Farm concert was organized after Glastonbury was forced to cancel a second year of operation, due to the Covid-19 chaos.

All artists will play for free, and the proceeds from ticket sales are intended to “help get the festival back in 2022”.

The Smiles, who took their name from Ted Hughes’ poem, recorded their play at Glastonbury Stadium in Greenpeace earlier this week, in secret.

What Is The New Band About?

Nothing more is known about the group, but it consists of two Radiohead songwriters, and their long-time producer Nigel Godrich.

Drummer Tom Skinner is a stalwart musician in the London jazz scene, and has performed alongside Matthew Herbert, Sons of Kemet and Mulatu Astatke. He also released electronic test music under the name Hello Skinny.

The first set of the group will be broadcast live at 23:00 BST. The concert will be available worldwide, and will be repeated twice Sunday for those who can not afford the first broadcast.

Ahead of Saturday’s announcement, rumors were circulating that the special character would be Taylor Swift – who was due to make headlines for the 2020 event.