Tour

Next month, Radiohead will reconvene for their first tour dates in seven years. In anticipation, all five members spoke with The Sunday Times for what is being billed as their first full-band interview in years. They discussed their decision to take a break in 2018, their upcoming tour and the possibility of new music, as well as the recent controversy stemming from Thom Yorke’s comments regarding the situation in Gaza and Jonny Greenwood’s association with Israeli musicians.

On the decision to pause Radiohead following their tour in 2018…

Yorke admitted that he had never “really given myself time to grieve” following the death of his first wife, Rachel Owen, in December 2016. “[My grief] was coming out in ways that made me think, I need to take this away,” he explained. “There have been points in my life where I have looked for solace in music and played the piano, but it literally hurts. Physically. The music hurts, because you’re going through trauma.”

Meanwhile, Ed O’Brien said he was “effectively over Radiohead” by the time they decided to take a break. “It wasn’t great on the last round. I enjoyed the gigs but hated the rest. We felt disconnected, fucking spent. It happens. This has been our whole life — what else is there? Look, success has a funny effect on people — I just didn’t want to do it any more. And I told them that .”

“I went through a very long dark night of the soul,” O’Brien added. “I had a deep depression. I hit the bottom in 2021. And one of the things that was lovely coming out of it was realizing how much I love these guys. I met them when I was 17 and I have gone from thinking I can’t see myself doing it again to realizing that, you know, we do have some stellar songs.”

On the upcoming tour…

Yorke sent the band an initial list of 65 songs for them to draw from when crafting their nightly setlists. The band will also be playing in the round, something they haven’t done since opening for Ned’s Atomic Dustbin in 1993.

On plans for new music…

“I don’t know. We haven’t thought past the tour,” said Johnny Greenwood.

“I’m just stunned we got this far,” added Yorke.

On the ongoing controversy surrounding Yorke’s comments regarding Gaza and Greenwood’s association with Israeli musicians…

Radiohead has played concerts in Israel several times over the course of their career, including in 2017 when they ignored a request by Roger Waters to cancel a gig in Tel Aviv in support of the BDS movement. Yorke was also notably heckled by a pro-Palestine audience member during a solo concert in Melbourne, Australia in October 2024, prompting him to briefly walk off stage.

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Earlier this year, Yorke published an extensive statement responding to criticism over his reaction — or perceived lack thereof — to Israel’s war in Palestine, while also condemning what he described as “social media witch hunts.”

Further addressing the controversy with The Sunday Times, Yorke said, “This wakes me up at night. They’re telling me what it is that I’ve done with my life, and what I should do next, and that what I think is meaningless. People want to take what I’ve done that means so much to millions of people and wipe me out. But this is not theirs to take from me — and I don’t consider I’m a bad person.”

“A few times recently I’ve had ‘Free Palestine!’ shouted at me on the street,” Yorke continued. “I talked to a guy. His shtick was, ‘You have a platform, a duty and must distance yourself from Jonny.’ But I said, ‘You and me, standing on the street in London, shouting at each other? Well, the true criminals, who should be in front of the ICC [International Criminal Court], are laughing at us squabbling among ourselves in the public realm and on social media — while they just carry on with impunity, murdering people.’ It’s an expression of impotency. It’s a purity test, low-level Arthur Miller witch-hunt. I utterly respect the dismay but it’s very odd to be on the receiving end.”

Greenwood has faced his own criticisms for his association with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa and for performing in Tel Aviv last year. Earlier this year, Greenwood and Tassa canceled two UK shows after receiving alleged threats connected to protests against Israel.

“It’s the embodiment of the left,” Greenwood told The Sunday Times. “The left look for traitors, the right for converts and it’s depressing that we are the closest they can get.”

Greenwood revealed he is working on another record with Israeli and Middle Eastern musicians, adding, “And it’s nuts I feel frightened to admit that. Yet that feels progressive to me — booing at a concert does not strike me as brave or progressive.”

He continued, “Look, I have been to antigovernment protests in Israel and you cannot move for all the ‘Fuck Ben-Gvir’ stickers. I spend a lot of time there with family [he is married to an Israeli artist, Sharona Katan] and cannot just say, ‘I’m not making music with you fuckers because of the government.’ It makes no sense to me. I have no loyalty — or respect, obviously — to their government, but I have both for the artists born there.”

Yorke Says He Would Not Play Israel Now, Greenwood Can’t Say the Same…

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t want to be 5,000 miles anywhere near the Netanyahu regime but Jonny has roots there. So I get it,” York said.

“I would also politely disagree with Thom,” Greenwood responded. “I would argue that the government is more likely to use a boycott and say, ‘Everyone hates us — we should do exactly what we want.’ Which is far more dangerous.”

“It’s nuts,” Greenwood added. “The only thing that I’m ashamed of is that I’ve dragged Thom and the others into this mess — but I’m not ashamed of working with Arab and Jewish musicians. I can’t apologize for that.”

Yorke also admitted to being concerned about Radiohead’s upcoming tour being disrupted by protestors. “But they don’t care about us. It’s about getting something on Instagram of something dramatic happening and, no, I don’t think Israel should do Eurovision. But I don’t think Eurovision should do Eurovision. So what do I know?”

On the recent viral success of “Let Down” on platforms like TikTok…

“I find that especially bizarre,” Yorke said. “Because I fought tooth and nail for it not to be on [OK Computer], but Ed was, like, ‘If it’s not, I’m leaving.’” It is, O’Brien added, the “emotional heart” of OK Computer. “Still, I was astonished,” he admitted. “So I told my kids, who are 18 and 21, and they said, ‘What do you expect? Teenagers are depressed. It’s depressing music!’”

You can read the full interview at The Sunday Times.