Philip Selway: Tiny Desk Concert

Stephen Thompson | December 4, 2023 Philip Selway knows how to surround himself with talent. Best known as Radiohead’s longtime drummer, Selway also presides over richly rewarding collaborations on his gorgeous, ruminative solo records. For his Tiny Desk concert, Selway brought in a fresh group of high-octane partners in the form of former Antibalas drummer Chris Vatalaro — “There is absolutely no way I am playing drums in front of Chris, ever,“ Selway said as he introduced the band — as well as four members of the brilliant American Contemporary Music Ensemble. (A similar ACME lineup graced the Tiny Desk with Max Richter in early 2020, in case you feel like revisiting it and having a li’l cry.) For his part, Selway performed three songs from this year’s Strange Dance — his first solo project in nearly nine years — with a mix of deep warmth and wry, self-effacing modesty. It’s an approach that suits his kind, lived-in songs, which echo everyone from Nick Drake to, in