Shrouded in the mystery that’s become characteristic of the band since their formation in 1985, O’Brien’s response offers little in the way of excitement for super-fans awaiting new music. However, he does offer some certainty regarding the current state of affairs, saying “There’s no Radiohead at the moment. There’s a truth to what we do, so we’re not going to be one of those bands that gets together for the big payday.”

The last Radiohead LP came back in 2016 with A Moon Shaped Pool, and was met with widespread acclaim and praise from critics worldwide. Being nominated for two Grammy Awards and the groups fifth Mercury Prize, it became not only their sixth number 1 album in the UK, but across much of the world too, claiming the top spot in Belgium, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, and Sweden. You can check out A Moon Shaped Pool’s lead single “Burn The Witch” below.

Commenting on the band’s ethos surrounding the creation of their music, O’Brien went on to comment “The thing with Radiohead, we could do something in a couple years. We might not. But I think what it has to be, it has to be five people going, ‘I really want to do this again with you.’ And I think at the moment, because we’ve done it for so long, we’re all reaching out and having different experiences. And that should be allowed, and that should be encouraged”. 

The band have of course splintered into various side projects over the last decade, with every member embarking on a solo career at one point or another. Their most notable detour of recent years being Jonny Greenwood and Thom Yorke’s band The Smile, whom released their debut album A Light For Attracting Attention earlier this year to great critical approval.

Despite this, one shouldn’t lose hope. Radiohead have certainly not announced a split, and from the sounds of Ed’s conversation with The Line-Up, things are looking quite positive. “We’re an ongoing band and have online meetings – there was a Zoom call recently,” he said at the time. “We’re talking about stuff, but for the foreseeable future everyone is doing their own thing. When it feels right to plug back into Radiohead, then we will.” Godspeed Ed.

You can catch his whole conversation with Shaun Keaveny on The Line-Up podcast here.

We, at Mxdwn, have covered several stories following the progress of Radiohead since January 2016. Since the Glastonbury announcement, we now have a European tour to look forward to.

At the beginning of 2016, January saw speculation, teasing fans over an imminent album release. March speculated the possible artwork to accompany the album A Moon Shaped Pool.

March also saw the release of May through August tour dates . . .

. . . then they disappeared . . .

. . . disappeared from the internet.

Suddenly, . . . ‘Burn the Witch’ single became their controversial (see why here) video prior to their album release of A Moon Shaped Pool in May.

Going back to beginnings, Radiohead’s debut 1993 single ‘Creep’ was also performed in May 2016; the first time in seven years.

Furthermore, guitarist Ed O’Brien now finds time to release superb solo material . . . This is the year of Radiohead, so far. European dates add to this momentum and, of course, fans of all generations will no doubt continue to learn more.

It’s a prolonged, planned, and profound drip-feed from Radiohead this year which has elevated them to headline Glastonbury and, prior to this festival, will prepare fans for a European tour beginning in early June in Norway, ending in the UK. Below detail the full dates/venues:

6/7 – Spektrum – Oslo, Norway
6/9 – Ericsson Globe – Stockholm, Sweden
6/11 – North Side Festival – Aarhus, Denmark
6/14 – Visarno Arena, Parco delle Cascine – Florence, Italy
6/16 – I-Days 2017 Milano, Parco di Monza – Milan, Italy
6/18 – Best Kept Secret Festival – Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands
6/20 – 3 Arena – Dublin, Ireland
6/23 – Glastonbury Festival – Worthy Farm: Pilton, UK
6/28 – Open’er Festival – Gdynia, Poland
6/30 – Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium
7/02 – Main Square Festival – Arras, France
7/04 – Manchester Arena – Manchester, UK
7/05 – Manchester Arena – Manchester, UK

This year Radiohead have given us plenty of surprises. So it seems fitting to watch and listen to ‘No Surprises’ from OK Computer.

The video to Radiohead’s eagerly awaited single ‘Burn the Witch’ has been accused of breach of copyright by William Mollett the son-in-law of Gordon Murray, 95, the creator of Trumpton, a stop motion series from the 1960s.

Mollett stated:

“Radiohead should have sought our consent. We consider this a tarnishing of the brand.”

He continued that Gordon Murray would be

“appalled” by the video, and it was “not something we would have authorised”.

“We consider that there is a breach of copyright and we are deciding what to do next.”

Radiohead’s parody shows the history of witch hunts where between the years 1484 and 1750 so-called witches were hanged, tortured, and burnt in Britain and throughout Western Europe. ‘Burn the Witch’, from the album A Moon Shaped Pool (read both of our articles on this) tells the story of a male outsider being showed around the village by the mayor who demonstrates how the village deal with their ‘witches’. In a twist the male outsider is invited to climb up a gigantic wicker man, and he is horrifically set on fire. The audience are instructed to turn their backs. Radiohead’s music soundly builds up to this final moment making the story a compelling one.

We shall see if Arthur Miller’s family take offence as it similarly deals with his play, The Crucible and its treatment of the Salem witch trials.

As with any parody it is important to think about the message Radiohead are offering viewers. Some say it links directly to the current refugee crisis.

‘Burn the Witch’ is the first release from A Moon Shaped Pool. Radiohead’s ninth album is available for streaming. A launch of a physical album will be out on 17 June. Have a look at Trumpton and ‘Burn the Witch’ below.