Despite a lack of advertising, Radiohead perform in front of a capacity crowd. My first ever visit to Manchester and their first UK gig of the year (well apart from the top-secret Oxford gigs a few days earlier).
The band seem relaxed and happy (Thom included). My Iron Lung kicks off and what had previously been polite audience restraint throughout the Divine Comedy's warm-up set now becomes the euphoria that we have come to expect. Excitement runs riot. At first l think l won’t survive it, but the music soon weaves into me and I lose all care. Thom acknowledges the absence of radio airplay for their single, adding cynically “we’re not bitter“, before proceeding with High and Dry whilst the audience joins into the lyrics of a song that reached 300 in the chart [er, I7, actually - ed].
Tonight‘s roaring set treats us to new songs which are accepted with eager anticipation. Thom asks “Is this band big enough for you‘?” and the unanimous reply comes in the affirmative. Now we the audience, are relaxed and happy too. Jonny’s guitar is in pure and abusive form. Likewise Thom’s voice is gentle and tragic, gutsy and wild in turn. The band air most of The Bends, with one or two exceptions, and include a rip-roaring version of Anyone Can Play Guitar. That song just gets better every time. Strange, I never liked it at first.
After the first encore Thom is summoned back on stage for a solo (great stuff), followed by the return of the whole band. You is played after a request for requests, as a barrage of suggestions are put forward amidst which there is one obviously overlooked song remaining. Thom, reluctant to perform it tonight ultimately has little choice; Jonny, Colin and Ed coax him, whilst the audience demand it. And he still sings it with the same grit and agony that makes it so fucking special. Excitement now turns to adoration and before we know it they have gone. I ponder for a couple of minutes before leaving partly because I am held rigid to floor, but mostly just to gather myself together.
In the scrum for T-shirts, a Japanese girl beside me, clutching her disposable camera, smothered in beads of perspiration and grinning from ear to ear exclaims. "I got a picture of him when he was laughing“. l don’t think she even heard my reply.
Outside, the Mancunian drizzle has started and frankly I‘m glad of it. It is going to take a heck of a lot of drizzle to calm this devotee down, thank God.