The unthinkable happened recently as Radiohead actually took photos together for the first time since 2018. Of course, the 2018 photos were mostly from their final “A Moon Shaped Pool” tour stops, so fans seeing Radiohead back taking photos like this is a pleasant surprise.
Radiohead Take Their First Photos Since 2018
The photos shows all the legendary members of Radiohead looking towards the camera and posing in their own signature way. Thom Yorke was as cool as ever, while Philip Selway showed off his new sweater. Fans are hoping the photoshoot indicates that rumors of a new Radiohead album coming soon are true.
Why Radiohead Went On a 7-Year Hiatus
Thom Yorke recently talked about why Radiohead took such a long break from touring, saying that personal loss and emotional exhaustion were major reasons behind their seven-year absence from the stage.
In an interview with The Times, Yorke looked back on the final days of the band’s A Moon Shaped Pool tour in 2018, which ended in Philadelphia that August. He admitted that the “wheels come off a bit” and that the group decided to stop before things went too far, even though the shows themselves still felt pretty strong.
“I guess the wheels came off a bit, so we had to stop,” Yorke said. “The shows felt great but it was, like, let’s halt now before we walk off this cliff.”
Yorke also talked about the death of his first wife, Dr. Rachel Owen, in 2016, saying that he needed time to grieve and that his emotions were surfacing in unhealthy ways. Although music had always been a comfort, he said that during that time, even playing the piano was painful because it reminded him of his loss.
“I needed to stop anyway, because I hadn’t really given myself time to grieve,” he said. “My grief was coming out in ways that made me think, I need to take this away.”
There have been points in my life where I’ve looked for solace in music and played the piano, but it literally hurts. Physically. The music hurts, because you’re going through trauma.”
Guitarist Ed O’Brien shared similar feelings, explaining that by the end of the 2018 tour, he was burned out and felt distant from the band. He said he loved performing but struggled with everything else that came with touring. However, by 2021, after hitting a low point, O’Brien said he began to appreciate the band again and remembered how much he cared for his bandmates and their music.
“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 realizing that, you know, we do have some stellar songs.”
As we already noted above, after years away, Radiohead announced they would finally return to performing with 20 concerts across five European cities: Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin, starting on November 4. All tickets sold out quickly. So it’s clear they are now going to show the world why they’re still one of the best bands ever and we’ll just have to see how their tour turns out, as fans just want them to keep on performing for as long as possible this time.
