HOLY SHIT!

The US rock giants play a secret show in a church - and 200 lucky fans get a very special treat...

RADIOHEAD frontman THOM YORKE joined his pals REM onstage at their secret LONDON show tonight (September 15).

Yorke appeared onstage at the St James’ Church halfway through the set to join Michael Stipe on vocals for a version of the US band’s 1996 UK Top Five hit ’E-Bow The Letter’, Yorke taking the part Patti Smith sang on the studio version.

REM had to restart the song after Stipe claimed “I was so excited I fucked up the beginning”, before going on to apologise for swearing in church.

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Yorke, who has been friends with REM since Radiohead supported them on the 1995 ’Monster’ tour, had previously sung the same song onstage with REM at Vancouver Thunderbird Stadium in August last year.

The 200-strong invite-only audience gave Yorke a storming ovation, and they also responded enthusiastically to the seven songs REM performed from forthcoming album ’Around The Sun’, out on October 4.

Among the new tracks were the three the band played at the Make Trade Fair charity gig last night at London Hammersmith Apollo (’Boy In The Well’, ’I Wanted To Be Wrong’ and new single ’Leaving New York’). Tonight REM also premiered ’Wanderlust’, the album’s title track and ’Aftermath’, though ’Final Straw’ featured in the setlists on the band’s 2003 tour, most notably at Glastonbury.

REM also played a clutch of old favourites, including ’Losing My Religion’ and set closer ’Man On The Moon’.

Stipe, dressed in white suit, was in chatty mood, telling any journalists reviewing the show not to use the headline ’Losing My Religion’ and admitting he wasn’t going to jump around – “You can pay for that from Saturday” he said, referring to the date that tickets for the UK leg of the band’s world tour go onsale.

The set was:

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’Animal’

’So Fast So Numb’

’Boy In The Well’

’Wanderlust’

’She Just Wants To Be’

’Final Straw’

’I Wanted To Be Wrong’

’E-Bow The Letter’

’Around The Sun’

’Aftermath’

’Losing My Religion’

’Walk Unafraid’

’Leaving New York’

’Imitation Of Life’

’Man On The Moon’

Did you get a picture? Email you best to news@nme.com.

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