I saw this happen at the last show I saw (which may have been the last Radiohead show) and had a lot of similar thoughts. The 2018 tour and the sets they played felt like a victory lap
A victory lap is a perfect way of describing those last shows, though not in a way that seemed obvious at the time. For all we knew, they'd just moved away from the AMSP Tour setlist to promoting OKNOTOK, not that Radiohead has ever remained static in this regard.
They're all still friends (I think). No drug or alcohol casualties. The only other big rock band I can think of that made it all the way through a four-decade long career without losing anyone or experiencing an acrimonious split before reforming is Rush. Neil Peart had two awful tragedies in his personal life that resulted in a hiatus for Rush, and Thom lost Rachel Owen in 2016, though that didn't seem to affect Radiohead all that much. I honestly don't know. I think Radiohead actually did a slightly better job of maintaining a very high level of creativity than Rush over the years, but that's a matter of taste. I don't see any kind of official announcement from them. I feel a little sad for any fans who never saw them live, because they were a transcendent live band from the first time I saw them in 1998, to the last, in 2018.
They were intending on touring for Kid A Amnesiac anniversary. Ed or Thom said as much and Covid derailed it. We can pump the breaks on the hand wringing over the end. Found the article. It was Ed. Radiohead were planning to tour in 2021 before coronavirus outbreak
Not read the thread sorry. And fans will hate this take (I’m a fan but not obsessive. Faod I think they’re the most important British band of my generation). But. Phil is why they got Clive in. Ed is why Thom does his own stuff, lately with Jonny, given his schedule and loyalties. And that should be fine. Expecting bands to go on forever is unrealistic - by all means believe, but. X.
I truly believe it when Ed says they may or may not get back together. Both scenarios seem equally likely. I think they just don’t know. It must not feel right for them to get together now. Maybe it won’t ever again. Maybe it will. There’s nothing forcing them to get together unless they decide they want to. So we really just have to wait and see
At this point I'm not sure why they would keep Radiohead going, they've all moved onto things they enjoy more. Even their last album felt like their hearts weren't really in it. And Thom's voice is just not cutting it live.
I suspect to some extent they’re victims of their own success. There’s no doubt that A New Radiohead Album is one of the the biggest things that could happen in the vaguely-alternative music industry. (Especially since the next one would be number ten which, as multiple people on this thread have pointed out, is - or at least would be seen as - Significant.) That’s probably quite a burden on them, especially Thom, and it’s really no surprise that doing a solo album, or a collaboration with other people, is more enjoyable. I think more likely than not we’ll get one eventually. I agree with those who say that they’re not the sort of band to do a big formal farewell, and since there’s no (obvious) acrimony between members, my guess is that they haven’t found a compelling reason to make A New Radiohead Album yet. At some point, they probably will.
IMHO, a new Radiohead album could happen only if and when Thom wants. I just can't imagine Ed, Colin and Phil calling Thom and Jonny saying: you lazy guys, we've got a new album to do. The Smile could've been released under the Radiohead brand and noone would have complained.
I can't speak about anything recent, but his live singing has been a mixed bag for me for as long as I can remember. When he is on, it is glorious, but his style of singing doesn't come across well when he is having a bad night, IMO.
Yep. I’ve seen him on a bad night. It was rough. Some of the older songs that rely on his higher register got iffy in recent years. With the Smile, he’s writing within the range of what he’s capable of at this moment. That’s probably more enjoyable for him to perform
Deamer was hired because Selway wanted to play with an other drummer instead of along to programmed rhythm tracks. Deamer was Selway's choice and was invited by him to play with the band. The Smile isn't Thom, Johnny and Clive, is it?
this was a pretty convincing examination of stuff from A Moon Shaped Pool that was published some time ago that got a lot of attention, that sees AMSP as their goodbye statement. It generated a few spinoff articles as well, and the fact that Radiohead never commented on this, and then the Smile popped up, I've just assumed RH are essentially a finished entity. Who knows they'll probably show up again like porcupine tree did ten years from now. Five Years Later, Radiohead's 'A Moon Shaped Pool' Feels Like a Secret Goodbye
I highly doubt the band has broken up in any official sense. Like, they didn't gather together and have a discussion or take a vote about calling it a day. It seems to me that after every album there's always been doubts within the band (and fanbase) about whether there will be a next album. It will either happen or it won't...
Seems like they're slowly preparing the fans to accept that Radiohead is no more. Just diluting our hopes little by little instead of giving an impactful report and that's fair. And very Radioheadish. I doubt it too. But maybe the split has happened naturally and they don't really care to reform now. Hope I'm wrong though.
