After the iconic band “had to stop” performing together because “the wheels came off,” in September Radiohead announced their return to the stage in a number of European cities before the close of 2025.
Shedding light on why the group hadn’t performed together since their A Moon Shaped Pool world tour wrapped in 2018, in an interview with Sunday Times’ Culture magazine, frontman Thom Yorke said:
“I guess the wheels came off a bit, so we had to stop.” “There were a lot of elements. The shows felt great but it was, like, let’s halt now before we walk off this cliff.”
Admitting his struggling with the passing of his first wife Dr. Rachel Owen, who died at the age of 48 in December of 2016, the British-born musician added:
“I needed to stop anyway. Because I hadn’t really given myself time to grieve.” “[My grief] was coming out in ways that made me think, I need to take this away.” “Music can be a way to find meaning in things and the idea of having to stop it, even when it makes sense to, because you’re not well? Even at my lowest point? I can’t. I need something that I can hold on to.” “But 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.”
Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien said he was “nervous” about performing again because he was “effectively over” the band by the end of the last tour and the group felt “disconnected” from one another, stating:
“I was nervous going into rehearsals because I was effectively over Radiohead [in 2018].” “It wasn’t great on the last round. I enjoyed the gigs but hated the rest. We felt disconnected, f****** 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 anymore. And I told them that.”
Ultimately realizing his love for his bandmates and their music, O’Brien concluded:
“I went through a very long dark night of the soul. 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 realising that, you know, we do have some stellar songs.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: Raph_PH