Jonny Greenwood on what the future holds for Radiohead
Jonny Greenwood has given Radiohead fans an update on what’s next for the band.
During a new interview with The Guardian, the guitarist was asked when we could expect new material from the Oxford group – whose ninth and most recent studio album, ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’, was released in 2016.
“Well, The Smile are on tour, Ed [O’Brien] is making another solo record, Colin [Greenwood] is playing bass with Nick Cave – they’ve just done five sold-out nights at the Sydney Opera House – so lots of music is being made,” Greenwood replied.
He went on to say that all his bandmates were currently busy, “just not as Radiohead”.
“We’re still talking all the time, we just need to make a plan and get some time together sorted out in advance,” the musician continued. “I’ve never been very good at that. Too busy dicking around in this studio.”
The studio in question is located in Greenwood’s Oxfordshire home. He was speaking to The Guardian about an eight-hour church organ piece he has composed for next week’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival, titled ‘268 Years Of Reverb’.
He is then scheduled to head out on a European headline tour with The Smile next month, with dates scheduled up until the end of August.
The side-project – also featuring Thom Yorke and Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner – released their second album ‘Wall Of Eyes’ in January before heading out on the road in the UK and Ireland.
As well as touring as part of Nick Cave‘s solo band, Jonny’s brother Colin has contributed to the Bad Seeds’ upcoming 18th record ‘Wild God’. Elsewhere, Radiohead frontman Yorke has digitally released his Confidenza soundtrack ahead of physical editions arriving in July.
Last November, drummer Philip Selway teased that Radiohead were in the early stages of preparing to reunite. “We’ve actually had a little break for a minute; the last show that we did was back in 2018, but we’re coming back ’round to that point now,” he explained at the time.
“There is just something particular to that relationship – that creative relationship and personal relationship – actually, you can’t get anywhere else.”
Selway continued: “We’re all coming back around to that point now of thinking, ‘Right, we’ve had a break – this is it. This feels like something to dive back into and really explore and see what other directions it can take us in.”
At the start of 2023, he claimed that Radiohead were going to “get together” shortly afterwards “to start looking at other ideas for what comes next”.
O’Brien said in the summer of 2022 that there was “no Radiohead at the moment”. “It might happen, but the other thing is… it might not,” he commented. “And does that matter?”
He reasoned that the band didn’t want to be an act that just “gets together for the big payday”, stating: “There’s a truth to what we do.”
During an interview with NME in 2020, O’Brien explained: “We’re an ongoing band and have online meetings – there was a Zoom call recently. We’re talking about stuff, but for the foreseeable future everyone is doing their own thing. When it feels right to plug back into Radiohead, then we will.”
In other news, Colin Greenwood has announced a new photo book about his life with the band. How To Disappear is set for release on October 15 – you can pre-order it here.
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Tom Skinner
NME
