Thom Yorke made a surprise appearance at Flea’s first solo London performance on May 26, 2026, at KOKO in Camden, and the result was one of those rare concert moments that felt both casual and electric at the same time. Flea was playing a 90-minute set drawn heavily from his new solo material and jazz-leaning side project Honora when Yorke suddenly emerged to join him on stage.
According to The Times, Yorke jumped in early on “Traffic Lights,” the Flea song he had also helped shape in the studio, and later returned for a falsetto-heavy cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Flea’s reaction to the surprise was classic Flea: once Yorke slipped back into the shadows, he laughed, “Who was that guy?”
The night fit Flea’s broader solo direction, which is a long way from the stadium rock most people know him for. The KOKO show leaned into experimental jazz textures, trumpet work, and mood-heavy arrangements. The Times described the set as featuring “subaqueous rhythms” and “atonal trumpet lines,” with Flea introducing the project by saying, “We just went into the studio to make something beautiful.”
That sense of exploration was all over the setlist. Flea’s concert at KOKO opened with a taped version of “Imagine” before moving into original material like “Good Night Darius,” “Shred of Hope,” “Golden Wingship,” “A Plea,” “Morning Cry,” and “Free as I Want to Be.” He also worked in covers of Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman,” Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You,” Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain,” and “Lovelovelove.”
Yorke’s two guest spots were the clear centerpieces. On “Traffic Lights,” he reconnected with Flea in the same spirit that made Atoms for Peace so memorable. Then, at the end of the main set, he returned for “Got to Give It Up,” which setlist.fm lists as a tour debut for Flea’s current live project.
The collaboration also made sense historically. Yorke had already appeared on “Traffic Lights,” one of the standout songs from Flea’s debut solo album Honora, which came out on March 27, 2026. That song was co-written with Yorke and Josh Johnson, and Flea has said the material reminded him of the creative chemistry he shared with Yorke in Atoms for Peace.
Flea’s Honora project is a major departure from his Red Hot Chili Peppers role. The album, released through Nonesuch Records, was built around Flea’s love of jazz and trumpet and features a wide circle of guests including Thom Yorke, Nick Cave, Josh Johnson, Jeff Parker, Warren Ellis, and others. The supporting solo tour has taken him through North America and Europe, with London one of the key stops.
The London performance also came at a busy time for Yorke. He had recently been in the news for his 2026 Ivor Novello Awards speech, and his appearance with Flea added another unexpected chapter to a year already packed with high-profile moments. For fans of both artists, KOKO felt like the kind of room where experiment, friendship, and surprise all collide at once.
Setlist-wise, the night looked like this:
- Imagine (tape)
- Good Night Darius
- Traffic Lights (with Thom Yorke)
- Shred of Hope
- Wichita Lineman
- Frailed (with Warren Ellis)
- Golden Wingship
- A Plea
- Morning Cry
- Free as I Want to Be
- Thinkin Bout You
- Maggot Brain
- Got to Give It Up (with Thom Yorke)
- Lovelovelove https://youtu.be/dRGVcW6W70w
