- WARNING: CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Radiohead singer Thom Yorke dared a heckler who disrupted his show to protest about the war in Gaza ‘to come up on the stage and say that’ before storming off, dramatic video shows.
The rockstar, 56, took to the stage in Melbourne on Wednesday night for a solo performance, but got into a tense exchange with a concertgoer during the encore.
Thom, who is currently touring Australia, started to play Radiohead’s hit track Karma Police when an audience member started shouting out to him on stage, with disgruntled members of the crowd heard booing.
The protester was heard shouting in support of Gaza amid the war with Israel, and reportedly criticised Thom for his silence on the issue after Radiohead recently faced boycott calls for performing in Israel amid the ongoing armed conflict.
Thom responded by accusing him of being a ‘coward’ for heckling and urged him to come up on stage, before walking off himself.
In an expletive-laden rant, he said: ‘Come up and say that. Right here. Come up on the f**king stage and say what you want to say. But don’t stand there like a coward, come here and say it. Come on.
The rockstar, 56, took to the stage in Melbourne on Wednesday night for a solo performance, but got into a tense exchange with a concertgoer during the encore
A member of the crowd can be seen shouting over fellow concertgoers in what appears to be a protest over the war in Gaza
Audience members filmed the protester shouting during the encore of the Radiohead star’s show
The Radiohead singer confronted the protester – daring him to come on stage and labelling him a ‘coward’
Thom Yorke is seen removing his guitar and walking off the stage mid-performance as the man continues yelling
Thom Yorke stormed off stage during his Melbourne show on Wednesday night (pictured on stage) after a fiery confrontation with a pro-Palestinian protester
‘You want to p**s on everybody’s night? Come on. OK, you do. See you later then,’ he added, before removing his guitar and leaving the stage.
The incident sparked a huge outcry in the audience and Thom eventually returned to the stage to continue playing his encore track to finish off his show.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Thom’s representatives for comment.
Earlier this year, Radiohead faced huge backlash from Palestinian activists when guitarist Jonny Greenwood performed in Tel Aviv.
He shared a stage with Israeli rock star Dudu Tassa at the Barby Club on May 26, but faced criticism due to the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.
Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) – which supports Gaza against Israel’s government – said the musician had engaged in ‘shameful art-washing’, a term used to suggest controversial actions can be downplayed by using artists.
BDS called on its supporters to disrupt Radiohead’s planned tour in Europe, prompting guitarist Jonny to hit back at the allegations.
BDS’ statement read: ‘Palestinians unequivocally condemn Jonny Greenwood’s shameful artwashing of Israel’s genocide.’
However, Jonny argued the performance included Arabic love songs from their 2023 album and was designed to promote harmony between Israelis and Palestinians.
The Radiohead singer, 56, took to the stage at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for a solo performance (pictured) but got into a tense exchange with a concertgoer during the encore
He said: ‘I think an artistic project that combines Arab and Jewish musicians is worthwhile.
‘The silencing of Israeli film makers, musicians, dancers when their work tours abroad…feels unprogressive to me.
‘Not least because it is these people that are invariably the most progressive members of any society.’
It is not the first time Radiohead have come under fire from activists for performing in Israel, with frontman Thom hitting back amid an onslaught of criticism in 2017.
At the time, the English rock band went ahead with a performance at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv despite demands for them to boycott Israel.
There were also calls to cancel the gig in an open letter issued by Artists For Palestine UK, which was signed by the likes of Roger Waters and Thurston Moore.
Amid backlash from fans, Thom defended the band’s stance and insisted that playing in the country did not mean they endorsed its government.
According to reports online, the concertgoer was a pro-Palestine protestor who had been shouting statements in support of Gaza amid the ongoing war with Israel
Radiohead have previously come under fire from activists for performing in Israel, with guitarist Jonny Greenwood (right, with Thom) hitting back at backlash in May of this year
He said on Twitter: ‘Playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government. We’ve played in Israel for over 20 years through a succession of governments, some more liberal than others.
‘As we have in America. We don’t endorse Netanyahu any more than Trump, but we still play in America.
‘Music, art and academia is about crossing borders not building them, about open minds not closed ones, about shared humanity, dialogue and freedom of expression.’
Criticism from fans has only grown following Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7 attack and the ongoing conflict on the Gaza Strip.