One of Alternative Rock’s Biggest Bands is Making a Comeback
Author Cat Badra, Photo by John Spinks
One of the worst feelings in the world is when a beloved band takes a long hiatus, one that’s lengthy enough to think that band is over for good. After all, a lot of times, I’ve noticed that when a band takes a break, they end up just going away, and maybe they don’t want to make a big splash about it. Or, even worse is when a band announces a breakup after a tour that fans didn’t know was the final tour. That leaves a bunch of fans wishing they’d gone to that final run.
Well, thankfully, one of alternative music’s biggest bands is making a comeback after several years off. Oh, happy days are here again.
British alternative rockers Radiohead are regrouping for a Radiohead reunion after taking a “little break”, says drummer Philip Selway. Radiohead have been away for quite a few years, as their latest studio album was 2016’s “A Moon Shaped Pool,” and their last live show happened back in 2018. That means Radiohead haven’t performed live since before the pandemic. I can’t think of many major bands that haven’t played at least a few shows following the 2020 shutdown, so whenever Radiohead does perform again, it’s going to be epic.
Radiohead – which features Selway, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood and Ed O’Brien – are finally at that point where they want to get together and work on new stuff. During an appearance on a live stream with the “Crow Hill Company,” Selway said, “We’ve actually had a little break for a minute; the last show that we did was back in 2018, but we’re coming back ’round to that point now.” He added, “There is just something particular to that relationship – that creative relationship and personal relationship – actually, you can’t get anywhere else.” That almost sounds like a romantic relationship, where you find that even if you go elsewhere, you’ll never get that special feeling from anyone but that one person. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch. But, you see what I mean.
He added, “We’re all coming back around to that point now of thinking, ‘Right, we’ve had a break – this is it. This feels like something to dive back into and really explore and see what other directions it can take us in.”
The guys of Radiohead kept plenty busy during their time apart. Vocalist Yorke and guitarist and keyboardist Greenwood created a new band called The Smile with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. The Smile released their debut LP, “A Light for Attracting Attention,” in 2022 and will release the follow-up, “Wall of Eyes,” in 2024. They also have a U.K. and European tour on the way.
Band members have previously stated that their time off from Radiohead was to allow them to work on side projects. But now, it appears they’re ready to get back to their bread-and-butter band.
Oh, one other major thing happened for Radiohead over the course of their break. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, by David Byrne of Talking Heads. They performed at the ceremony, right before the world shut down.
Of course, Radiohead’s most well-known song is Creep. Find the story behind that song here.
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