Rolling Stone
Thom Yorke made an unexpected appearance at Flea's concert in London last night, where he joined the bassist on stage to perform their new track "Traffic Lights" along with a rendition of Marvin Gaye's classic 1977 song "Got to Give It Up."
Flea is currently on the European segment of his solo tour, promoting his latest album, Honora. The concert, held at London's Koko, marked his only solo performance in the U.K. during this tour. The reunion of these two musicians is notable, as they have frequently collaborated live and have performed together as part of Atoms of Peace. Yorke contributed to "Traffic Lights," a song featured on Honora.
The track "Traffic Lights," co-written by Yorke and Josh Johnson, embodies a sound reminiscent of Atoms for Peace. Flea commented on the collaboration, stating, "Something about it reminded me of Atoms for Peace, so I sent it to Thom. Just knowing him, I thought it would be a rhythm and a sensibility that he would relate to. And I was right, he did. With a gorgeous melody and the words, you know, about living in the 'upside down' and how do you make sense of things when we're getting all this fake shit and real shit? Everyone has their ways of dealing with the world. But he's just the warmest, free flowing, jamming motherf*cker."
The album Honora comprises six original tracks alongside covers of works by artists like George Clinton and Eddie Hazel, Jimmy Webb, Frank Ocean and Shea Taylor, and Ann Ronell. The project reflects Flea's enduring passion for jazz and rekindled his early enthusiasm for playing the trumpet.
Reflecting on his journey with music, Flea noted on The Tonight Show, "It's always alive in my head and my heart. A few years ago I decided I'm just going to play trumpet every day, no matter what, and after a couple of years of doing it I'm going to make a record and what comes, comes. It wasn't really about a means to an end. It was just the process, the learning process. And I'm so happy that I had the opportunity to do it."
Share this story