Song · The Bends era (1994–96)
Talk Show Host
A B-side that a film soundtrack turned into one of the band's best-known songs, and that they have now played 240 times.
sep 1995
the b-side
They recorded it around September 1995 and put it out as a B-side on the “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” single in January 1996: slinky, trip-hop-inflected, closer to Portishead than to anything on The Bends.
1996
romeo + juliet
Nellee Hooper remixed it for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, where it plays over Leonardo DiCaprio sitting alone on a beach, and the soundtrack sold in enormous numbers. That is how most people heard it, and it is the reason a B-side became a fixture. The Black Dog also remixed it, as “Shush You”, for the standalone single.
Twenty-five years later Yorke reworked its solo into “Eyes & Mouth” for the Smile.
1997–2025
two hundred and forty nights
It reached the stage late: first played in Barcelona on 22 May 1997, and seventy-four times that year. It has stayed. The archive's most recent performance is Casalecchio di Reno, 17 November 2025.
on stage
Live at Pinkpop 2001.· Pinkpop Archivewatch on youtube →
Live history
| Times played | 240 shows |
|---|---|
| Live debut | Thursday 22 May 1997 · Barcelona |
| Last played | Monday 17 November 2025 · Casalecchio di Reno |
| Longest absence | 7 years · back on Monday 17 November 2025 · Casalecchio di Reno |
Nights played include broadcasts; opened and closed count gigs only. A cancelled night has no setlist. All setlist stats →
Tabs (2)
Remixes & alternate versions (2)
- Talk Show Host (Nellee Hooper Mix)
- Talk Show Host (Black Dog 'Shush You' Mix)
Heard in (1)
- William Shakespeare's Romeo + JulietPlays as Romeo is introduced, brooding on the beach.
sources1
- The site's own catalogue note, based on Citizen Insane, Songfacts and The A.V. Club.