"Whenever you're ready," says Thom Yorke, adopting the tone of a schoolteacher waiting for an unruly class to settle down, as Radiohead get ready to play their encore at London's O2 Arena.

It's a rare flash of humour from the frontman, whose onstage utterings are mostly limited to mumbled "thank yous". But it's also an acknowledgment of how long fans have been waiting for this show.

It is now 10 years since Radiohead last released new material, and 99 months since their last UK gig.

Anticipation for their return has been building ever since they announced a limited run of concerts in September. Setlists from early shows in Spain and Italy have generated news stories ("Radiohead play Nice Dream for the first time since 2009"), as fans pore over the song choices.

According to one source, they've rehearsed 65 different numbers.

At the O2, the band sift through their entire discography - from the arena rock anthems of 1994's The Bends to the celestial ballads of A Moon Shaped Pool, via the layered electronics of Kid A, currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.

There are some signs that Radiohead are a bit rusty. A few timing and tuning issues crop up, which could easily be the result of a first night in a new venue, but which feel odd for a band of such technical proficiency.

But when it comes together, it's a rapturous, spell-binding sight.

They begin with the spacey, hypnotic Planet Telex, and follow it up with a crunchy version of 2 2=5, written in 2003 as a reaction to George W Bush's "War on Terror", and taking on new urgency in a world where political norms have seemingly........

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