As their fans surely know by now, Radiohead persistently confound expectations about them, as they have done with their new release, Kid A. Indistinct, esoteric and ignorant of all pop sensibilities as the album may be, its songs still seem to get inside your head and stay there.
At Punchestown, under a custom-made big top which from the inside resembled a set from Alien, the band had their first stab at showcasing their songs to an Irish crowd who were plainly there to sing along to the oldies, but seemed prepared to tolerate Radio head's drive towards musical obfuscation.
Eschewing any ideas of pandering to the audience, they opened the set with the hypnotic, bass-heavy The National Anthem from Kid A, and the power of Radiohead live was immediately apparent.
The band are obviously enthusiastic about their new material, peppering the bulk of the new album (and even newer songs) throughout the near 2 1/2 -hour set. Although most fans were there to join in with the likes of My Iron Lung, Fake Plastic Trees, The Bends, Karma Police and the many other anthems which have endeared frontman Thom Yorke to angst-ridden music lovers everywhere, their renditions at Punchestown seemed a little lack-lustre compared with the passion displayed on the new tunes - Everything In Its Right Place, Optimistic, and the highlight of the evening, Idioteque.
Of their older numbers, only Paranoid Android seemed to match the emotional ferocity of the Kid A tracks.
Technically, the gig was masterful, with near-perfect sound complemented by spectacular lighting. The tent helped to created an intimate atmosphere among the 10,000-strong crowd, and those at the back could follow proceedings via screens around the periphery. Quite confounding.
