S Poddar
Since A Moon Shaped Pool dropped in 2016, fans have been anxiously awaiting word of the next move of iconic British rock outfit Radiohead. Between individual solo projects for each of the band members over the last several years, the future of this band has sort of often felt foggy. Recent comments by bassist Colin Greenwood, though, have given those fans new reason to hope that Radiohead might reunite soon.
Appearing via video call at the Hay Festival Querétaro in Mexico on Sunday, Greenwood had some pretty exciting news about what the band had recently been up to. Promoting his forthcoming photography book How To Disappear: A Photographic Portrait Of Radiohead, Greenwood revealed that a few months prior, the band had convened to rehearse some of their back catalog material.
We did some rehearsals about two months ago in London-just playing the old songs-and it was really fun; we had a really good time.
Although he didn’t cite which songs the band played, speculation amongst fans has led to theories that such back-catalog classics as “Paranoid Android,” “No Surprises,” and “Karma Police” could have featured on the setlist. The prospect of the band reaching back into their beloved back catalog again has rekindled the excitement within their diehard following.
Since A Moon Shaped Pool dropped, the members of Radiohead have all pursued solo projects while dropping hints that maybe, just maybe, they’ll make new music or go on tour together. In January, guitarist Jonny Greenwood told The Guardian about the current state of music-making within the band.
“Lots of music is getting made,” Jonny Greenwood said. Well, The Smile are touring, Ed’s [O’Brien] making another solo record, Colin [Greenwood]’s playing bass with Nick Cave – they’ve just done five sold-out nights at the Sydney Opera House – so lots of music is being made. Yet, he admitted that with all this creativity, it wasn’t under the Radiohead banner. We’re still talking all the time, we just need to make a plan and get some time together sorted out in advance,” he added. “I’ve never been very good at that. Too busy d***ing around in this studio.
Jonny Greenwood’s mention of The Smile brings in his ever-continuing work with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and Tom Skinner, drummer of the jazz ensemble Sons of Kemet. The side project has truly seen incredible success, and just recently, the trio announced their third album, entitled Cutouts, due out 4 October. Along with this news, the group dropped two new singles, “Foreign Spies” and “Zero Sum,” really wetting the appetite for any news of this Radiohead-adjacent outfit.
Meanwhile, Colin Greenwood has hardly been resting on his laurels either. He is set to join Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds on their upcoming UK and European tour after their new album Wild God, following the illness-enforced withdrawal of bass player Martyn Casey. Greenwood’s work with Nick Cave, meanwhile, speaks volumes to the versatility and love of live performance.
Druma Philip Selway has also not been idle, telling Spin in January 2023 about the future of Radiohead. He stated that the group was very likely to reform in the near future. “We’ve been very focused on the whole Kid A/Amnesiac thing, and I think that’s coming to its natural conclusion, going back through the reissue and [creating] the game scenario around that,” says Selway, who refers to the band’s 2021 reissue of two of its seminal albums.
That’s in line with what EOB, aka guitarist Ed O’Brien, who has released solo music under the name, told NME: “It’s an ongoing band.we’re always in touch with each other.” “We’re talking about stuff, but for the foreseeable future everyone is doing their own thing,” O’Brien said. He said that Radiohead’s career was composed of different “chapters,” and the members are now considering what that might look like. “When it feels right to plug back into Radiohead, then we will,” O’Brien reassured fans.
As the various solo projects remain ongoing, it leaves little else for fans to do but speculate at what might actually be next for one of the most influential bands in recent memory. Little question exists that these band members are deeply invested in their separate endeavors; rehearsals in the last year and continued communication do hint that they will eventually return to create new music, or maybe even another tour.
Radiohead has always been one of those bands to do their own thing, and yet it would even seem that their story is far from over. From revisiting some of their classic hits to treading new sonic ground, the future indeed holds plenty of possibilities both for the band and their fans. And as O’Brien hinted, when the time is right, Radiohead will be ready to go in.
