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The Smile: Radiohead stars to debut new band at Glastonbury live-stream

Alex Lake The SmileAlex Lake
The band's set will be streamed at 23:05 BST during Glastonbury's virtual show

A new band featuring members of Radiohead will be the special guests at Glastonbury's live-streamed concert on Saturday, it has been revealed.

Called The Smile, the band includes Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Jonny Greenwood, alongside jazz drummer Tom Skinner.

They will perform "a first-ever set of new, original music" during the virtual show, which starts at 19:00 BST.

Other acts on the bill 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.

"Sadly, we are all unable to gather together at Worthy Farm, but alongside sets from other wonderful performers, this has all the makings of a special Glastonbury moment."

The five-hour Live At Worthy Farm concert was arranged after Glastonbury was forced to cancel for a second year running, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

All artists are performing for free, and proceeds from tickets sales are intended "help to secure the festival's return in 2022".

The Smile, who take their name from a Ted Hughes poem, filmed their performance in Glastonbury's Greenpeace field earlier this week, under a shroud of secrecy.

Little else is known about the group, but it comprises Radiohead's two core songwriters, as well as their long-time producer Nigel Godrich.

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Drummer Tom Skinner is a seasoned performer on the London jazz scene, and has played with the likes of Matthew Herbert, Sons of Kemet and Mulatu Astatke. He also releases experimental electronic music under the alias Hello Skinny.

The band's debut set will be streamed live at 23:00 BST. The concert will be available worldwide, and repeated twice on Sunday for those unable to tune in for the initial broadcast.

Before Saturday's announcement, rumours had circulated that the special guest performer would be Taylor Swift - who was originally due to headline the event in 2020.

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