Exit Music (for a concert): Radiohead cover band Fitter Happier at Higher Ground

I am running late, but the venue stands like a glowing oasis amidst the mid-winter darkness and sludge of South Burlington. It is Feb. 7, and Radiohead cover band Fitter Happier has just taken the stage at Higher Ground. I find my way in, carrying perhaps not the highest expectations, but excitement nonetheless to hear an homage to one of the most influential art rock bands of the past few decades. As the crunchy drums and falsetto vocals of “15 Step” fill the room, it is immediately evident my expectations are misguided.

The self-proclaimed “premier Radiohead cover band of northern New England” consists of singer Jeff Beam and frequent collaborators Scott Nebel (guitar), Nick Place (keys/percussion), Sam Peisner (bass), Rob Cimitile (guitar/percussion) and Elliot Heeschen (drums). The ensemble wears, for the most part, flannels, jeans and tees — Beam and his neon pink pants are a glaring exception. 

“We’re all fans of Radiohead, and we enjoy the challenge of trying to perform these songs as accurately as possible,” Beam explained when asked about Fitter Happier’s inception. This performance marks one of the group’s first outings under this self-declared creed, and it is clear there is a market as the venue becomes dense with fans young and old.

“Knives Out” is one of the first tracks performed, and through Beam’s thick beard pours Thom Yorke’s brutal sincerity, enveloped by Nebel and Cimitile’s busy guitar parts.“There, There” is similarly tight, carrying all the angst and despair characteristic of the UK band. Rob Cimitile now clutches two drumsticks in his left hand, frantically playing rhythm both on a drum in front of him and on the guitar still slung over his shoulder. 

The original Oxfordshire-based band is  hard to pin down. Across their 40 years of albums, singles, EP’s, features and live albums, the group traversed genres, ranging from the Britpop and rock of “The Bends” to the electronic stylings of “Kid A.” Their singularity and uncompromising weirdness drew both widespread admiration and a fair share of ire: the band was too pretentious, the members too antisocial, the music inaccessible and pompous. Yet regardless of individual opinions, the band seemed to exist on a plane of its own, delivering transcendent sets such as the 2008 “In Rainbows — From the Basement” live album, the 2006 Bonnaroo performance, and the 2000 “Live From a Tent in Dublin.” 

The Ireland performance was notable for the band’s rendition of their song “The National Anthem,” with its alien atmosphere and distorted vocals. Fitter Happier’s interpretation of the song sees the mercurial Cimitile kneeling in front of an array of pedals, strumming notes, now turning a knob, now holding his strings in a palm mute, intricately creating his own otherworldly sonic landscape. Before this song, Cimitile brandished a violin bow to play his electric guitar, and later on he plays a small xylophone for the lullaby-like tones of “No Surprises,” bent on tapping into the strangeness Radiohead personifies. 

Beam’s frontman intensity is palpable, both in the kinetic, more abrasive songs and in the softer ones such as “Exit Music (For a Film).” As the night goes on, he begins to down honey straight from the bottle, pushing through exhausted vocal chords to finish the set strong. Heeschen’s performance on the drums is also of note, consistently finding himself deeper in the pocket than lost keys, and Peisner’s bass is similarly on point. 

The crowd spans several age groups, yet everyone sways and nod their heads, mesmerized. Before the night can come to a close, the familiar chords of “Karma Police” filter throughout Higher Ground, and the excited audience begin to sing the lyrics at the top of their lungs. A community is formed, gathered out of the appreciation of a legacy and leaving with visions of beautiful “Fake Plastic Trees” and Jeff Beam’s neon pink pants.