'We Felt Disconnected': Radiohead Address Hiatus Ahead Of First Tour In Seven Years
“I guess the wheels came off a bit, so we had to stop,” singer Thom Yorke explained.
Radiohead's Thom Yorke live in Sydney (Credit: Peter Dovgan)
It’s been seven years since Radiohead last toured, having wrapped up their live dates in support of 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool in August 2018.
This November and December, the pioneering British band are embarking on a limited run of shows across the UK and Europe, their first tour in seven years. It hasn’t been so easy for the five-piece to get to this point.
In a new interview with The Times, members of Radiohead, including singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Ed O’Brien, addressed the lengthy hiatus ahead of their forthcoming shows.
Admitting that “the wheels came off a bit,” Yorke also acknowledged the passing of his first wife, Rachel Owen and the difficulties in processing his grief. Ed O’Brien also detailed that he and his bandmates felt “disconnected” during their A Moon Shaped Pool tour.
“I guess the wheels came off a bit, so we had to stop,” Yorke explained. “There were a lot of elements. The shows felt great, but it was, like, let’s halt now before we walk off this cliff.”
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In December 2016, Owen passed away at the age of 48. The pair were married for 23 years, had two children together, and split in 2015. The end of their relationship inspired some of the lyrical content of A Moon Shaped Pool.
Yorke added that he “needed to stop” as he hadn’t given himself time to grieve. “[My grief] was coming out in ways that made me think, I need to take this away,” he said.
The singer also discussed the role of music in his grieving process. “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,” he shared. “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.”
Detailing the band’s extended break from the stage, O’Brien revealed that he was “effectively over” Radiohead in 2018, loving the shows but hating the rest of touring.
“I was nervous going into rehearsals because I was effectively over Radiohead [in 2018],” admitted O’Brien. “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 anymore. And I told them that.”
He continued: “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 realising 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.”
In August, Radiohead surprised released the new live album, Hail To The Thief Live Recordings 2003-2009. The physical release landed earlier this month.
Yorke said the live album was born from trying to create arrangements for the band’s Shakespeare Hamlet/Hail To The Thief theatre production. After listening back to live recordings from 2003-2009, he re-evaluated his relationship with the album, and the band decided to share the live album with the public.
Yorke has released an abundance of solo material and teamed up with Jonny Greenwood to form another band, The Smile. In 2024, Yorke also embarked on a solo tour, which visited Australia and saw him debut material from a new collaborative album with Mark Pritchard.
Ed O’Brien released his debut solo album, Earth, in 2020. Drummer Philip Selway has released three solo albums, with the most recent, Strange Dance, arriving in 2023.
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