Thom Yorke plays a new song, “House of Cards”, at the Trade Justice vigil

Thom Yorke gave a new song, “House of Cards”, its first airing on Friday night, 15 April, in an unannounced solo acoustic set at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster. He was there for Wake Up to Trade Justice, the Trade Justice Movement's all-night protest, and the set was not on the programme; the organisers counted it among the highlights of the night.

With the new song he played “No Surprises”, “Nude” and “Reckoner”, and an old unreleased song NME called “Glass Flowers”, which fans have long known as “Last Flowers (til the Hospital)”.

Besides the set, Yorke took part in two vigils and spent five hours with his friend Stanley Donwood on a giant painting headed “Business School For The Dead”. He had told NME in March that he would be there.

I'm going with a sleeping bag and a paint brush and maybe even a guitar if I can get it in the suitcase.

Thom Yorke³

The night began at 10pm in Westminster Abbey, where Ronan Keating and Beverley Knight sang, and moved by candlelight along Whitehall to a minute's silence at midnight, broken by a burst of noise meant to wake the politicians. The organisers say more than 25,000 people filled Whitehall; the police put it at about 7,000. Xfm had reported that Ed O'Brien would be helping the Women's Institute serve tea, coffee and cakes at its Fair Trade Café. A dawn procession past Downing Street on Saturday ended it.

The protest asked the government to stop pressing poor countries to open up their economies, and to let them choose trade policies that end poverty and protect their environment. Radiohead have backed the movement before, leading its Mass Lobby of Parliament in June 2002. This time the timing was pointed, with a general election on 5 May and Blair's government, holding the G8 presidency, making help for poor countries a priority. Yorke told BBC radio the night was a reminder to take the issue seriously during the campaign, and after the midnight silence he told NME.COM, It is important to remind (Tony) Blair and Gordon (Brown) of their promises really.²

Within days a recording of part of “House of Cards”, made in the hall by a fan, Mandy, was up on At Ease with “Last Flowers”. The sound is poor and the song breaks off, but it gives a fair idea of the new one.