Are Radiohead ever getting back together? As Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood continue to tour with their new band the Smile, guitarist Ed O'Brien has shared some insight on Radiohead's future, confirming that they will likely reconvene — but maybe not.
O'Brien appeared on The Line-Up with Shaun Keaveny on a podcast episode that was released in April 2022 (and was newly dug up by commenters on Radiohead's subreddit). In it, O'Brien confirmed that the band have been on a full hiatus, saying, "There's no Radiohead at the moment."
When podcast host Shaun Keaveny reassured O'Brien that the band would reunite, the guitarist responded, "It might do, but the other thing is, it might not — and does that matter?"
He went on to say that Radiohead would never "be one of those bands that gets together for the big payday." He continued, "We could do something in a couple years. We might not. But I think what is has to be, is 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 [with new projects] and wanting to have different experiences. And that should be allowed, and it should be encouraged."
He said that a Radiohead reunion will very likely happen — but, also, he's made peace with the possibility that it might not. He said, "We love one another. We're brothers. We probably will play together … It could be that it doesn't happen. I'm sure it will do. I'm almost certain that it will do. But you've got to also be able to be fine with it not happening again."
EOB released the debut album Earth in 2020, and he noted that drummer Philip Selway would be releasing a new solo album later this year. As for the Smile, he admitted to having some slight reservations about Yorke and Greenwood doing their own project: "What's slightly weird at first is when two members hook up, and you go, 'Oh.' And it's the same management and stuff like that. But you get to the stage where you're happy that your brothers want to make music." He added that the Smile are "sounding fantastic."
Listen to The Line-Up with Shaun Keaveny on Apple Podcasts right here. The discussion about Radiohead's future starts around the 1:05:00 mark.
Radiohead's most recent album is 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool. Meanwhile, the Smile are currently touring, and they've been playing new material on the road, so it's fair to speculate that Yorke and Greenwood have their sights set on another album with that project.
Exclaim! recently ranked the 20 best Radiohead songs.
O'Brien appeared on The Line-Up with Shaun Keaveny on a podcast episode that was released in April 2022 (and was newly dug up by commenters on Radiohead's subreddit). In it, O'Brien confirmed that the band have been on a full hiatus, saying, "There's no Radiohead at the moment."
When podcast host Shaun Keaveny reassured O'Brien that the band would reunite, the guitarist responded, "It might do, but the other thing is, it might not — and does that matter?"
He went on to say that Radiohead would never "be one of those bands that gets together for the big payday." He continued, "We could do something in a couple years. We might not. But I think what is has to be, is 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 [with new projects] and wanting to have different experiences. And that should be allowed, and it should be encouraged."
He said that a Radiohead reunion will very likely happen — but, also, he's made peace with the possibility that it might not. He said, "We love one another. We're brothers. We probably will play together … It could be that it doesn't happen. I'm sure it will do. I'm almost certain that it will do. But you've got to also be able to be fine with it not happening again."
EOB released the debut album Earth in 2020, and he noted that drummer Philip Selway would be releasing a new solo album later this year. As for the Smile, he admitted to having some slight reservations about Yorke and Greenwood doing their own project: "What's slightly weird at first is when two members hook up, and you go, 'Oh.' And it's the same management and stuff like that. But you get to the stage where you're happy that your brothers want to make music." He added that the Smile are "sounding fantastic."
Listen to The Line-Up with Shaun Keaveny on Apple Podcasts right here. The discussion about Radiohead's future starts around the 1:05:00 mark.
Radiohead's most recent album is 2016's A Moon Shaped Pool. Meanwhile, the Smile are currently touring, and they've been playing new material on the road, so it's fair to speculate that Yorke and Greenwood have their sights set on another album with that project.
Exclaim! recently ranked the 20 best Radiohead songs.
