The Smile

The Smile are an English rock band formed by Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. The Smile made their debut in a surprise performance for Live at Worthy Farm, a film with performances by numerous artists produced by Glastonbury Festival and streamed on May 22, 2021. They performed eight songs, including a new version of the unreleased Radiohead song "Skating on the Surface". Yorke and Greenwood played guitars, bass, Moog synthesiser and Rhodes piano. The performance was recorded in secret earlier that week and announced on the day of the stream. The band take their name from a poem by Ted Hughes. The Smile's debut album A Light For Attracting Attention was released on May 12, 2022. The singles You Will Never Work in Television Again, The Smoke, Skrting on the Surface, Pana-Vision, Free in the Knowledge and Thin Thing were released in the months leading up to the album's release. A Light For Attracting Attention was made in collaboration with longtime Radiohead producer, Nigel Godrich. On June 20, 2023, the single, Bending Hectic was released. While the song would later appear on their next studio album, Wall of Eyes, it was announced as a "non-album single". Godrich was not involved in the making of the track; rather, it was produced by Sam Petts-Davies, who had previously worked with Yorke on his first feature film soundtrack, Suspiria. Following the release of two other singles, the title track Wall of Eyes and Friend of a Friend, their second studio album, Wall of Eyes was released on January 26, 2024. Also produced by Sam Petts-Davies, it was received to "universal acclaim". The release was accompanied by a series of screenings at independent cinemas around the world, titled "Wall of Eyes, on Film". The events included listening parties for the album in surround sound, including an additional orchestral track, "Tiptoe"; footage from the album recording sessions; the premiere of film director and longtime collaborator, Paul Thomas Anderson's video for "Friend of a Friend"; and screenings of Anderson's previous videos with the Smile, Yorke and Radiohead. The band members made a surprise appearance at the Prince Charles Cinema in London and answered questions from the audience. These screenings were held from January 19th, 2024. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.