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.@mrjamesholden and Sarah Davachi will be joining the Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes tour across the US and Mexico shows. Tickets and information on which shows they will perform at here https://t.co/1fcfeBAqzO@nigelgod@tarikbarri@deadskinboy pic.twitter.com/8Cf3cfyeZH

— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) February 12, 2020

Well here goes another blog post! It's been way too long.

For the first time, I followed Radiohead a bit on tour - seeing them more than just once or twice. I saw them 6 times this North American leg. Also, I don't think I wrote on here last year, but I also saw them at Coachella (weekend one) 2017! Yea the sound sucked, and got a bit dehydrated because I wasn't used to desert heat - it was still a great show.

2018 positivity!
MSG night 2, 3, 4
Pittsburgh
Philly night 1 and 2

What a great year to be spoiled by having a Radiohead tour in my area. It was much needed. I made so many great friends this time around. The best moment was a group of us were singing Radiohead songs at The Pennsy after MSG night 4! Even strangers were just joining in, it was marvelous. Then it started to rain and it made everything so much more special. This was my favorite moment spent with my Radiohead friends.

My favorite trip was going out to Pittsburgh, I've never been before. What a beautiful city. Reminded me so much of Italy, houses in the mountains. The city was nice and spread out, so I felt like I can breathe and still feel part of something big. Made amazing friends there, and got Ed side rail - a dream. That was my favorite trip.

Philly were my "hometown" / just-nearby-where-I-currently-live shows. Night 1 was full of anxiety as I saw a whole line of WASTE GA ticket holders bypass me even though I waited all day. I was saved by one of my Radiohead friends who found me on the GA floor, and I still had a great spot. Night 2 I had WASTE tickets and lucked out much better. Thom rail that night! I also slept overnight from being at Night 1, so that is something I've definitely not done before. Another great experience with friends I've met over the years and new friends.

My favorite songs played this tour were A Wolf at the Door and The Daily Mail. Seeing Spectre live was also a huge treat. I had so much fun this year, and I'm so fortunate to have these experiences. Thanks Radiohead, xoxoxoxo.

~Lady D
aka Diana

Thom Yorke @Boch Center, Boston

More pics: https://www.instagram.com/p/BqoWaK2HojA/

Hey have an extra GA for the Montreal show on 7/17 since my friend won't be making the trip with me. Let me know if you're interested!

Has anyone received a pre-sale link for Radiohead tickets for their 2018 North American tour? I've never seen them and am really hoping to be able to purchase tickets today for the pre-sale. THANKz

Radiohead Sudamérica Tour 2018

@JnnyG
Thanks to all the South Americans for coming to our shows - we loved every concert.

(photo of Sao Paolo show by Borge_British_Photographer)

Muchas gracias a todos los fans de Sudamérica por acompañar a la banda en esta histórica gira !

Fotos compartidas por: Arico, Marcos, Luciano, Sandra, Jorge, Patricia, Santiago, Damita, Susana, etc, etc!

Setlists: Santiago, Buenos Aires, Lima, Rio de Janeir, Sao Paulo, Bogotá

https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/tarik-barri-on-his-live-visuals-for-thom-yorkes-upcoming-solo-tour/

 ~ enjoy

http://consequenceofsound.net/2016/09/thom-yorke-spins-three-hour-42-song-playlist-on-bbc-radio-1-listen/http://

i hope they'll tour Japan,and Australia and or maybe the only South East Asian show..let say.. Singapore? ... 

Glad Thom did the early verbal announcement. it's time to save money. 

First of many we hope

http://www.openairsg.ch/ ;

Gulp

01 - Intro/ 02 - Before Your Very Eyes/ 03 - The Clock/ 04 - Ingenue/ 05 - And It Rained All Night/ 06 - Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses/ 07 - Harrowdown Hill/ 08 - Reverse Running/ 09 - Atoms For Peace/ 10 - Black Swan

Download link

http://www.radiohead.com/deadairspace/130304/Atoms-For-Peace

It's Memorial Day in the United States. After having just come home from my town's parade, I'm looking outside of my window and feeling the cool breeze pass through the screen. There's an unfinished sketch to my right and just above it, my record collection. With a little over a day left until Radiohead begins the third leg of their "King of Limbs" tour, I sit here and reflect on the fact that a little over 3 months ago, I wouldn't have even considered myself a Radiohead fan.

Within those months (or semester, if you want to put it in a more academic perspective), I have forced myself to stay awake for 2 events, spent more money than I should have on a concert ticket, and bought 7 CDs.

But it was all out of admiration and respect for this one band. I'm still trying to figure out what it is that brought me up to this point. Perhaps it is my obsessive nature, my constant hunger for info on Radiohead, or maybe the fact that, once I get into a new band, I need to listen to as much of their work as possible so I could evaluate them as a whole.

...Yeah. I'd say it's the former.

I'm also still trying to determine what it is about the band's music that kept me wanting more. I'm still waiting for someone to ask me, "Why do you like Radiohead", to which I will answer...well, what does it matter, anyway? The most I can say is that I listen to them as a classic rock fan. If I were to go back in time to my freshman year of college and say, "Hey, guess what, you're going to become a Radiohead fan in 3 years", the younger Me would scowl and say that all of today's music is crap.

I've always wondered if there were any decent rock bands around today. I have my answer with Radiohead.

And they're more than decent: they're wonderful. The kind of music they make is, to me, a dream come true. Haunting, epic, soothing...emotive while still getting my brain to work. Pink Floyd did the same with me and now it's happening again with Radiohead.

And in about 29 hours, I get to hear the music I've been addicted to for some time live...in person...for the first time.

If their music has the power to make me quiver, cry, and convulse with excitement through their recordings alone, I'm a little nervous to see what will happen once I see them tomorrow night.

To the members of Radiohead: Thank you for letting your music be there for me over the past few months. Without it, I don't think I would have been able to come out of my spring 2012 semester at university with a sane head on my shoulders. Break a leg, all of you, tomorrow night. I can't wait to see you play.

"It's like I've fallen out of bed from a long, weary dream..."

I got to the Comcast Center with my group at around 4:00. We left early so we wouldn't get stuck in rush hour traffic. Sitting by the gates, we could hear Radiohead doing their sound test. Some of the songs they played included "Everything in its Right Place", "Bodysnatchers", and "Go to Sleep". Two of these songs managed to be included in that night's set list. The fact that we could hear them from where we were was a sign of things to come, even if we couldn't make out Thom Yorke's words. The faded sounds of the band's music was enough to make my acquaintance and I very excited.

Looking around me, I noticed that the Comcast Center was located in an incredibly forested area. Having never been there before, this was a completely new experience for me. Radiohead picked a good place to promote something as nature-friendly as The King of Limbs. The weather at that point was perfect where it was as well. No signs of thunderstorms yet.

Once we were finally let inside, I scrambled to find my seat in section 7. The maps online didn't give me a good idea as to how the stage would look from my point-of-view, so I held my breath until I found my seat. Turns out I had a really good spot. I could see the stage clearly from where I was sitting.

The show opened up with Caribou's set. This was the first time I'd ever listened to their music, so I was completely open to them.. The style of music they played tied into Radiohead's electronically-driven beats, so it wasn't something completely random. The band's mixture of post-rock and electronica may have sounded muffled at times, but the rhythm in their music made my heart feel like it was going to beat out of my chest. I was disappointed by the fact that their set was so short, since I wanted to get more of a taste of their music. Caribou isn't a band that I would check out on my own, but hearing them live was a treat.

It wasn't long until Radiohead performed their set. They went on at around 8:40 p.m. At that point, I was screaming in a way that I've never screamed over a concert before. Hearing that chirping chorus of Thom Yorke's voice samples set something off and I was ready for the night of my life.

To make things easier, here's a song-by-song recap:

1. "Bloom" - Opener of the show. Out of all the versions I've heard on the tour thus far, this version was my favorite. The rhythm of the song swung back and forth while not being too overbearing. It also seemed more melodic than usual, or maybe it was just me. The panels on the top of the stage rippled with images of the band's instruments with each power chord on the guitar. Colin Greenwood's bassline finished off the song nicely.

2. "15 Step" - "Greetings", Thom says before launching into this track. For some reason, Thom has a tendency to start singing the song in a different key at times, but here, he was singing in exactly the same key as the album version. The tone on  Jonny's guitar was rich and smooth, and to hear it live was one of the highlights of my night. Thom's rising falsetto blended in with the instrumentation incredibly well. 

3. "Airbag" - Thom softly thanked the audience before letting the band shock everyone with the opening chords of this track. I wasn't expecting them to play this so early in the show. Even with some of the more electronic instrumentation of the album version stripped away, there was still an air of coolness to the performance. The sound of Jonny's French Connection was subtle, but still made notable improvements to the performance.

4. "Staircase" - Thom introduced this one as a "new song", leading me to believe that he would play something like "Full Stop". The arrangement of the panels was clever, setting them up so they looked like two flights of stairs. The performance was incredibly mellow. A nice change of pace from the high energy of the previous 2 tracks.

5. "The Daily Mail" - A "sort-of" new song, as suggested by Thom. When I saw the road crew bring out the piano, I knew magic was going to happen. The acoustics of the place made the piano and Thom's voice ring out with an incredible purity. That moment of serenity paired with the progressive stylings of the hard rock interlude made for one of the best performances of the night.

6. "Myxomatosis" - Judging by the notes that the band fiddled around with after "Mail", I knew that they were going to play this one. Thom went into one of his political musings before going into the song. With the way he danced, I could have sworn that the soul of Joy Division's Ian Curtis took possession of his body. Thom was just as into the fist-pumping as most of the audience. Whether he was the one who started it or the audience is a line that was blurred. A good example of the band's connectivity with their audience.

7. "The Gloaming" - Much more different than the album version in that it had a more intense finale.  I'm glad the band adapted the song for their live performances like that, since it's more trance-like and hypnotic on the album. The lighting was incredibly eerie and it fit the song well. Thom was bouncing all over the place like last time. How he still had the energy to do that is beyond me.

8. "Separator" - This version of the song seemed light compared to the other versions I'd heard. There was an air of nostalgia to it. The lighting during the song seemed to help with that a little. Since I was looking for someone while they were playing, I wasn't able to settle down and give the song a good listen.

---During "Separator", I got a text from a family friend who told me to meet him at the front of section 7. He was going to give me his seat because he wanted to rest from the show a little. As it turned out, he was more tired than he thought, so he left the show altogether and let me keep his seat for the rest of the night. It was a seat in section 2 that was 4 rows from the pit, dead center.

I was directly parallel from Thom Yorke. Now I was really ready to have fun.---

9. "Pyramid Song" - A chilling rendition of the song. Thom's wailing combined with Jonny's "guitar-cello" and the piano created a highly ethereal atmosphere. I didn't think I was on Earth anymore. Jonny's control on the guitar with the cello bow was incredibly precise and structured, caressing the neck of the guitar with care and concentration.Listening to the song was almost like I was swimming in a sea of light and sound. Speaking of which...

10. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" - This was Ed's time to shine, since the whole audience waited in anticipation to sing the backing vocals with him. The lighting made the band look like they were playing the concert underwater. Despite playing the guitar, Thom was still as into the song as ever. The acoustics of the place made the guitar parts cascade around the audience.

11. "Morning Mr. Magpie" - An electrifying performance from the band. Even with its place on the drum-and-bass inspired King of Limbs, it still had a solid rock element to it.  What started off as another rock number broke off into something psychedelic and hypnotic. The way the panels faded in and out added to the echos of the number.

12. "Identikit" - I was more than excited to hear this unreleased track live for the first time. Ed's vocals seemed more prominent than ever, and it was nice to hear him so clearly. There was also a synth-sounding part at the beginning that I wasn't too familiar with, but it added a spacier atmosphere to the song and gave me an experience that was different from listening to the song via YouTube and the Coachella Live Stream. While Ed stood steadfast singing his part, Thom did this sort of seductive dance as he was singing. The synth interlude in the song reminded me of the band's work off of Hail to the Thief, which made me feel nostalgic in a way. Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the song was somewhat spoiled by a man smoking weed next to me, with the smoke blowing right in my face. 

13. "Lotus Flower" - Probably my favorite number of the night. From the first note, the Comcast Center practically exploded. The bass from the song rattled throughout my body. This might have also been the point where I looked up and saw an intense look of determination on Phil Selway's face. When the band got to the "slowly we unfurl" part, the stage was illuminated in shades of white and orange and gave it an otherworldly glow. With the way Thom moved and sang, he looked as if he had just descended from the heavens to sing for the crowd. I was completely frozen during that part. Listening to that song live proved its worth as a solid work from a band. It was no ordinary dance tune.

14. "There There" - The audience murmured to each other as the band crew brought out two sets of drums. A good portion of them knew what was coming. Ed and Jonny were completely synchronized in their drumming and led the audience in a clap-along. This version of the song was very identical to the studio version. Very haunting, with the low lights reflecting dark presence of the track. Once the song kicked into gear at the end, the audience was practically swept off their feet. The build in that song was incredible to hear live.

15. "Feral" - Not one of the strongest numbers of the night, though the percussion work in it was very impressive. I'm glad the band brought someone like Clive Deamer along with them. The drumming bounced around and absorbed the vocal chimes made by Thom during the performance. I wasn't able to take any good photos of the performance, which is why it's missing from my album.

16. "Idioteque" - I was amazed I could barely recognize this one until the synth riff came in at the beginning. The beat was probably different from the studio version, that's why. During this song, Thom practically became one with the music, with Ed acting as vocal support to make sure he can come back down to Earth. The panels had an interesting color scheme to them, which worked with the lighting in the back nicely. At the very end of the song, Thom moved as if he was freed from his trance. By that performance, I can tell that the band likes playing that one a lot.

17. "Supercollider" - This song began the first of two encores. This is another song that I wasn't too fond of, so I couldn't get all that into the performance. It didn't seem to move me as much as the other numbers. One cool thing about it, though, was when Thom Yorke thanked the audience, the background animation was a sound wave that mirrored his voice. I think that that applied to the rest of the song as well.

18. "The National Anthem" - Another favorite from last night and Jonny's turn in the spotlight. I didn't catch on to the radio station sounds until a few seconds into the song. I caught a bit of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" coming from the radio and maybe Radio 92.9. The best part of the performance, however, was the fact that Jonny managed to land on a jazz station, allowing him to allude to the horn section that's included on the album version. Thom certainly dug it. Then the place erupted in heavy bass and domineering electronics.

19. "Lucky" - The anthem number of the night. The crowd hushed, then cheered, as they recognized the chirps at the beginning of the song. They then sang along to Thom's musical cries, fully connecting the audience to the band. Once the lights came up for the chorus, everyone's hearts seemed to burst with passion and excitement. I was probably more excited that I should have been over the fact that Jonny was playing a mellotron during the second verse.

20. "Everything in Its Right Place" - The band opened this one with a cover Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush". After a few lines, Thom decided to cut it and go straight into the main number. The crowd went wild. Thom seemed to put his philosophy of using his voice as an instrument into practice, with Ed and Jonny taking the reins with their sampler while Thom walks off stage, his role in the process now complete. Even without seeing him on stage, he was able to give life to his disembodied singing through Ed and Jonny's remixing techniques. Thom's voice babbled and popped while the band waved goodbye...until now, at least.

21. "Give Up the Ghost" - Second encore. When I saw the acoustic guitar, I was ready to cry. Tears welled up in my eyes as Thom played while he looped his voice. I was surprised by the prominence of Jonny's guitar in the song, since I thought that that song was completely acoustic. The final result of the looping and sampling was a one-man chorus that overtook the audience. The fact that they managed to stay so quiet during the performance made me proud to be a part of such a respectful group of people.

22. "Bodysnatchers" - If I were to close my eyes while listening to the opening riff of the song, I would have told you that I was listening to the album version. The tone on Thom's guitar was exactly the same as the album, but that was where the similarities ended. The background made the stage look like it was engulfed in flames, and the song itself was just as fiery. It was an adrenaline-pumping number that was the complete antithesis of the last song. There was no stopping the band once they started.

23. "Reckoner" - The show ended on a compassionate note. Even after 2 hours, the band was still able to show exceptional chemistry and musicianship. Jonny melted in the background as another percussionist. Ed retreated into the role of tambourine player, with Thom taking over the main guitar riff off the song. The ending of the song was nothing short of beautiful. Ed's harmonies against Thom's singing were tighter than ever, and gave me a completely different way of listening to the song. I think the placement of "Reckoner" at the end sums up the tour perfectly: music that's experimental and percussion heavy, but played with a love for music and bringing it to people in a harmonious environment.

"It's like I've fallen out of bed from a long, weary dream..."

And waking up this morning...the concert seems like it was just that: a surreal dream that only happened in my imagination, like I was never there to begin with, but going through my photos, I was in fact there. I did see one of my all-time favorite bands perform before me, and mostly near the stage, no less. I couldn't have asked for a better concert experience. The weather held up, despite what newsreporters have been saying, everyone was in high spirits, and I got to be up close to the 6 musicians that have been providing the soundtrack to my life for the past 3 months.

That was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. The band should be proud of themselves for last night's performance, and for the tour in general. 

The Bonnaroo 2012 schedule is up! Radiohead will be going on at 10 p.m. (CST) on June 8th and will be playing until midnight June 9th.

The schedule can be viewed here:

http://lineup.bonnaroo.com/events/2012/06/08/

The entire festival will also be streamed on Bonnaroo's official YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/user/BonnarooMusicFest

Looks like I know what I'm doing tomorrow night. ;)

http://www.rollingstone.com/

http://www.exitmusic.com.ar/news/2012/04/16/radiohead-se-reconecta-articulo-rolling-stone-us-de-abril/

Radiohead se reconecta – artículo Rolling Stone US de Abril

FuenteRolling Stone

Traducción al español exitmusic !!

La edición americana de Rolling Stone tiene a Radiohead en su portada este mes, y publicó un artículo llamado Radiohead Reconnect. Gracias a citizeninsane.eu por la transcripción y scans. A continuación podés leer la traducción del mismo.

 Thom Yorke entra al comedor en el backstage del American Airlines Arena en Miami, vistiendo una remera oscura, pantalones ajustados rojos y una sonrisa torcida. “Me siento emocionado por dentro – y nervioso por dentro”, dice el líder de Radiohead mientras se sirve una taza de café. Yorke viajó desde Gran Bretaña tarde ayer – en sus párpados todavía se nota el jetlag – y se lo espera en el escenario en un rato, para el último ensayo antes del lanzamiento de la gira más larga de Radiohead desde 2008: 58 shows durante 10 meses en América del Norte, Europa, Asia y Australia. La misma se inicia mañana.

“Todo – la producción, la nuevas luces, el setlist – aun están en desarrollo”, dice Yorke. “Pero por fin arranca”. Poco después se lo puede escuchar preparar su voz en un cuarto cerrado, practicando escalas en gorgojeos precios, altos, manteniendo notas y “aaaaah” limpios.

Radiohead no solo está comenzando un tour; están revelando un renacer. La banda está terminando una de las épocas más desafiantes y confusas en su carrera: casi tres años de silencio público y caos privado durante la cual Radiohead lidiaba con la reinvención y su futuro. Hicieron algunas de sus más hermosas canciones en su álbum menos popular, The King of Limbs que salió el año pasado, pero no lo promocionaron y se mantuvieron fuera de los escenarios, sin saber cómo o si iban a poder presentarse como banda nuevamente.

“Todavía estamos organizandonos”, admite Yorke, sentado en uno de los camarines de la banda. Recuerda las primeras sesiones de prácticas para esta gira. “Me volvía loco … decía que no había tiempo … quiero hacer todas estas cosas nuevas”.

Pero sobre el escenario, un rato después, él y el resto de Radiohead suenan exhuberantes y confiados mientras interpretan “Bloom” de The King of Limbs. Lo que sonaba en el álbum como un enigma vidrioso, loops y encantamientos de fantasma suena ahora como agua que fluye, arreglada por el nuevo sexteto como una furia de ritmos y guitarras sucias. “Morning Mr. Magpie” también suena más pesado que su versión en The King of Limbs, mientras que “Meeting in the Aisle” – un instrumental de las sesiones de OK Computer, en 1997 – se escucha fresco, como música surf turca con una base trip-hop.

 Radiohead trabajó en más de 75 canciones para los shows de 2012, incluyendo material escrito durante los ensayos el pasado invierno en su estudio de Oxford. La banda interpretará algunos recién nacidos, como ser “Identikit” y “Cut a Hole“. Yorke, de 43 años, dscribe el primero como un “tema alegre, lento pero con con un estilo frágil hip-hop”. Sonríe. “Ese se las arregló para llegar a lo más alto de los que tenían ese estilo”. Colin, que tiene 42 años, está expectante con otro, “Full Stop“, particularmente con la parte” donde la voz de Thom vuela con un falsetto impresionante. La canción simplemente despega”.

En una entrevista antes de la práctica, Yorke acredita a la adición de Deamer, que viene de la banda británica Portishead, por la renovación en vivo. “Tener otro músico para rever el material antiguo fue tan importante como tener nuevas canciones”, dice Yorke. Está tirado en un sillón, pero su voz resuena con una energía que no descansa. “En el proceso, descartas canciones porque solo puedes hacerlas de una cierta forma”, dice. “Darle un nuevo aire a esos temas se sinte muy bien. No tienes que preguntar ‘oh, ¿cómo seguía?’ sino ‘¿cómo podemos hacerla bien ahora?’”.

El mejor ejemplo es el tema que le da título a Kid A, de 2000. Grabado durante la cenit del odio de la idea de banda-de-guitarras de Yorke, “Kid A” fue apenas una canción – una nube de zumbidos con Yorke cantando a través de un vocoder como un niño robotizado. Esta noche, suena gigante y metálico, un estallido de doble percusión con un una atmósfera sorprendente y clásica en los acordes de piano, ejecutados por Jonny.

“Era una anti-canción”, dice O’Brien al día siguiente, en una sala con vista al mar en el hotel de Radiohead. “Ahora es algo cálido, particularmente hacia el final. De repente, tiene un amanecer”. Durante mucho tiempo, en mucha de la música de la banda, él admite que “nada que fuera genuinamente hermoso era aceptado. Jonny siempre fue muy bueno para colocar una guitarra ruidosa sobre las cosas”.

 “Esto es más o menos dónde estamos ahora – y Clive ha traido consigo”, dice O’Brien, que cumple 44 años este mes. “¿No decían que cuando los Beatles tenían a Billy Preston se comportaban mejor?”, bromea. “Tener a alguien que rompa con la energía – eso es bueno. Sacó a la gente de sus antiguos hábitos”.

“Lo oyes todo el tiempo”, dice O’Brien. “Estas bandas dicen ‘estamos en el mejor momento de nuestras vidas‘ y no hacen buena música. Me rehuso a decir eso. No es nuestra mejor época. Es otra – y es una muy buena. No se siente como una nueva banda, se siente como una banda que se conoce a sí misma”.

Yorke no está tan seguro – todavía. “Es raro no tener versiones finales grabadas”, dice sobre las nuevas canciones, “porque es ahí cuando tomas las decisiones finales. Estar ensayando temas nuevos, no tenerlos grabados, con un sexto miembro en la banda …” dice mientras revolea sus ojos en pánico. “Todo fluye, no estoy seguro de qué se trata”.

 Jonny, de 40 años, sentado en el sofá junto a Yorke, recuerda al cantante llegar al primer día de esanyos en Oxford: “Llegó y dijo ‘soñé que teníamos un mes más para practicar’. ‘¿no seria eso muy bueno? pensé”.

“No hemos tocado frente al público todavía, así que no sabemos qué tan bueno es” dice Yorke. “Quizá no lo sepamos mañana tampoco”. Muestra nuevamente su sonrisa torcida. “Quizá tome un tiempo”.

 Radiohead ha estado grabando durante 2 décadas. Este año se cumple el vigésimo aniversario de su EP debut, Drill, y del lanzamiento inicial de su hit en el top 40, Creep. Desde entonces, la banda ha disfruado del más extraño movimiento hacia adelante que cualquier otra banda de rock. Sus albumes más exitosos, incluyendo dos número uno en Estados Unidos, Kid A e In Rainbows, son resbalosos y discordantes: mezclas y colisiones de guitarras violentas, electrónica bailable críptica, y baladas mordaces y elípticas. El último álbum “convencional” de Radiohead, de acuerdo con su productor habitual, Nigel Godrich, fue su clásico de art-rock, OK Computer. “Esencialmente, ese fue un álbum de guitarras alcanzando otras dimensiones” dice Godrich. Radiohead comenzó cada álbum subsiguiente de la misma manera. “Comenzamos con lo que no queremos hacer después”, dice O’Brien.

Ha habido mucho trabajo externo en los últimos años. El primer lanzamiento de Selway, Familial, apareció en 2010. Yorke tiene casi terminado el primer álbum de estudio de su banda Atoms for Peace. Jonny, un compositor prolífico de bandas sonoras y orquestas, acaba de editar un álbum con el compositor polaco Krzystof Penderecki. Siendo una banda independiente desde el final de su contrato con EMI en 2003, Radiohead exploró maneras alternativas de lanzar su música. In Rainbows apareció primero como una descarga dónde se elegía el precio. Un tema hermoso de 2009, “These are my Twisted Words” fue gratuito.

The King of Limbs llegó como un shock total: una descarga con un aviso de solo una semana y sin publicidad de parte de la banda. A eso le siguió un CD un mes después. Pero el ataque sorpresa, combinado con la desconcertante limitación en la música, no salieron como esperaban. “Había gente que estaba interesada en la música de la banda, pero no sabían que Radiohead había sacado un álbum”, dice Bryce Edge, uno de los managers de la banda. A la fecha, The King of Limbs ha vendido 307.000 copias en Estados Unidos – el primer álbum de Radiohead que no alcanza el oro aquí.

Pero esa cifra, como remarca Edge “no incluye las copias digitales qu vendimos” – un estimado de 300.000 a 400.00 copias compradas a través del sitio de Radiohead. “La mayor parte de las ventas fueron directas de la banda a los fans”, dice el otro manager Chris Hufford. “Financieramente, este fue probablemente el álbum más exitoso que hayan hecho, o muy cerca de eso. En un contrato tradicional, el sello discográfico se queda con la mayor parte del dinero”.

 Radiohead realizó solo 3 shows en 2011, luego de reclutar a Deamer para ayudar a recrear las capas de percusión superpuestas en The King of Limbs: un set sorpresa en el festival inglés Glastonbury y dos conciertos que se vendieron rápidamente en el Roseland Ballroom de Nueva York. Y ahora la banda se lanza al otro lado del océano: su itinerario por Estados Unidos incluye fechas en festivales (dos en Coachella y una en Bonnaroo). O’Brien dice que el grupo ya “ha hablado sobre la forma en la que las cosas pueden evolucionar, quizá hacerlos en dos o tres secciones – tres movimientos, si se quiere”. Colin está muy emocionado por la idea de meterse al estudio durante el viaje. “Quizá hagamos algunos muy rápidos”, dice, “meternos en algún lugar un fin de semana y tocar”.

La banda está realizando secciones de 3 semanas con pausas considerables, en parte debido a asuntos familiares. Todos los miembros de la banda aun viven en Oxford excepto por O’Brien, que vive en Londres, y todos están casados a excepción de Yorke, que ha estado junto a su pareja, Rachel Owen, desde que eran estudiantes en la Universidad de Exeter. Los cinco son padres dedicados. Colin, Jonny y Selway tienen 3 hijos cada uno; Yorke y O’Brien tienen 2. “Mis hijos cambian de escuela en Septiembre”, resalta Selway, de 44 años. “Quiero estar cerca en ese momento”.

 Pero durante las entrevistas de este año y del año pasado – en Oxford, Londres, Nueva York y finalmente Miami – se puede notar que la banda está ansiosa de encarar una nueva gira luego de pasar mucho tiempo muy cerca de sus hogares. La primera noche en el Roseland el año pasado fue, como dice O’Brien “una gran lección. La prueba de sonido fue una maldita pesadilla. Los monitores eran una mierda – no podíamos escucharnos. Sentíamos que no estabamos preparados. Pero ¿sabes qué? Todo salió bien. Nuestros managers decían que era uno de los mejores shows”.

 “Fue un maldito viaje – el mejor subidón de adrenalina que tuve en los últimos años”, dice Yorke. “No se sentía como si pisaramos el suelo que pisamos antes, caminando sobre nuestras tumbas. Todavía estabamos deambulando en la oscuridad, tropezando. Y era bueno”.

 “Nos hizo sentir como una banda de rock nuevamente”, dice Colin, más racionalmente, en el backstage de Miami. “Está bien estar en una banda encarada como algo de 9 a 5: despertar a los niños, llevarlos al colegio, trabajar un poco, volver a casa. Pero veo a mis amigos que tienen trabajos en Oxford y trabajan duro pero no lo disfrutan, y eso me frustra. Tenemos un trabajo que es nuestra pasión. Roseland nos hizo recordar lo bueno que puede y debe ser”.

 Radiohead habla sobre The King of Limbs como un asunto sin terminar, como un álbum con futuro y una audiencia que espera por él. La banda no sale de gira este año “específicamente para promocionar el álbum”, dice Selway. Pero agrega “con suerte, la gente se conectará con el álbum a través de los shows”.

 “Fue genial lanzar el álbum de esa forma”, dice Yorke, “pero después parecía que no existía”. Menciona una charla que tuvo sobre el álbum, un par de meses luego de su lanzamiento, con Phil Costello, un amigo de la banda y ex ejecutivo de su antiguo sello, Capitol. “El decía ‘ya pasó, simplemente pasó.’ ¿En serio? Mierda”.

“Pero esa fue la consecuencia de lo que decidimos hacer”, admite Yorke. “Puede o enojarte o decir ‘bueno, eso no es suficientemente bueno’”.

Hace una tarde cálida de otoño en Nueva York, el día antes del primer show en Roseland, y Yorke – entre sorbos de té en el lobby de un hotel en el centro – recuerda sus noches de viernes durante su estadía en la Facultad, trabajando como DJ mientras realizaba su título general en Exeter. Radiohead era un trabajo de medio tiempo, escribiendo canciones y grabando demos bajo su nombre original, On a Friday, durante los recesos en el estudio de los miembros.

“Yo no era particularmente bueno”, dice Yorke sobre su actividad como DJ, “porque la gente me compraba bebidas para que yo pasara la música que ellos querían. Al final de la noche, no veía los discos”. Yorke recuerda mezclar temas electro-dance de un duo belga, Cubic 22, y el trio inglés 808 State con algo del grunge primitivo de Seattle. Le gustaba particularmente como las bandas de Manchester, como Happy Mondays y The Stone Roses mezclaban la psicodelia de los 60s con la cultura Rave inglesa. “Lo que luego no sucedió más”, se queja. “De repente, las guitarras eran la única manera de hacerlo. Y fuimos parte de eso”.

Desde OK Computer, Yorke ha luchado persistentemente para distanciar a la banda de la instrumentación y del proceso de grabación tradicionales. “Hablé hasta el cansancio de eso mientras grababamos In Rainbows”, dice. “Era una frustración constante ir en la dirección opuesta”.

 The King of Limbs es el sueño del Thom Yorke DJ-estudiante: las bases del rock transformadas completamente por la electrónica. La batería, bajo y partes de guitarra son todos samples, ejecutados individualmente por los miembros de Radiohead, luego manipulados, loopeados y puestos en capas para formar canciones terminadas con melodias ensoñadas y letras tipo haiku a cargo de Yorke. “Lotus Flower“, “Codex” y “Give up the Ghost” laten y flotan más como sugerencias que como canciones, murmullos exóticos que no tienen apuro en convertirse en declaraciones definitivas. “Puedo ver por qué alienó a la gente”, dice Yorke dice ahora sobre el álbum. “No me di cuenta de que era un planeta en sí mismo”.

 “No queríamos agarrar las guitarras y escribir secuencias de acordes”, dice Jonny sentado en un café cerca de los estudios Abbey Road en Londres, donde Radiohead grabó parte de su segundo álbum, The Bends, en 1995. “No queríamos sentarnos frente a la computadora tampoco. Queríamos una tercera opción, que involucre tocar y programar”. Fue una búsqueda larga: Radiohead trabajó en The King of Limbs durante períodos entre Mayo 2009 y Enero 2011.

Alto y tímido, constantemente quitándose una cortina de cabello negro de su cara, Jonny es el único miembro en Radiohead sin un título universitario; dejó sus estudios en psicología y música en el Oxford Polytechnic College cuando el grupo obtuvo su contrato discográfico en 1991. Pero es sin duda el músico más talentoso en Radiohead: un violinista con educacón clásica que además toca el violín, el cello y el teclado. Jonny también creó el software usado para samplear instrumentos en The King of Limbs. “Nunca me sentí más feliz”, dice, “que cuando estaba en mi cuarto, de niño, trabajando en algunos juegos de computadora malos”.

 “Las paredes de ladrillo con las que solíamos chocar”, dice volviendo al álbum, “aparecían cuando sabíamos que algo era grandioso, como ‘Bloom‘, pero sin terminar. Sabíamos que la canción era casi lgo. Luego Colin vino con esa linea de bajo y Thom comenzó a cantar. Esas cosas la hicieron mil veces mejor. Todo lo demás estaba esperando al material indicado”.

“No se parecen a ninguna otra banda en el estudio”, dice Godrich, que trabaja con ellos desde OK Computer. “No podrían grabar ‘Bohemian Rhapsody‘ porque no tienen tanta capacidad de atención. Si no sucede inmediatamente, Thom se confunde. No es su forma de actuar”.

Godrich cita una canción famosa de Radiohead que nunca fue terminada en el estudio, “True Love Waits“, una balada popular en los conciertos: “tratamos de grabarla infinidad de veces, pero nunca funcionó. La ironía es que tienes esta versión mala en vivo (en el mini-álbum de 2001, I Might Be Wrong). Según Thom, el necesita sentir que la canción tiene una validación, que tiene una razón para existir en una grabación. Podríamos hacer “True Love Waits” y hacerla sonar como John Mayer. Nadie quiere hacer eso”.

Radiohead no promocionó The King of Limbs con un gira el año pasado por dos razones. Uno: “pensamos que no podríamos tocarlo en vivo”, dice Jonny. La otra “fue en parte mi culpa”, reconoce Yorke. El álbum “abrió tal cantidad de posibilidades extrañas”. El quería volver al estudio, luego se retractó “siguiendo por el mismo camino. No podíamos hacer eso, no podíamos tocar en vivo: ‘aw, mierda, ¿y ahora qué?’”.

 Deamer, de 51 años, un baterista veterano del jazz y la música dance que también trabajó con Robert Plant, fue la respuesta. “Me ha encantado su forma de tocar por años”, dice Selway. “El parecía la persona más natural para hacer el trabajo”. A principios de 2011, ambos comenzaron a diseccionar las nuevas canciones y decidir cuáles de las muchas partes ritmicas podían tocar en vivo. Un año después, Selway está en el teléfono desde Oxford luego del último día de ensayo en Oxford: “todo está completamente abierto”, en una versión enérgica de su voz suave y caballerosa. “Al ver que la dinámica entre los seis rinde frutos – hemos comenzado algo. Muchas bandas en este punto de su carrera no tienen esa chance. O la pierden cuando la tienen”.

Pero, dice Yorke, “no habría forma de que imaginaramos lo que estamos haciendo ahora, en vivo, si no nos hubieramos sentado frente a las bandejas y las computadoras, armando el álbum de esta forma. No habría habido forma de que se hubiera transformado en este algo tan dinámico”.

Al consultarle qué canciones cambiaron más en vivo, Thom menciona “Lotus Flower“. “Con los dos bateristas, de repente se volvió sucia”, dice. “Me gusta mucho”. Y acepta que “Give up the Ghost” – una balada vacía y repetitiva en el álbum – se convirtió en algo más en Roseland: una oración circular explosiva mientras Jonny capturó y manipuló la voz de Yorke en vivo.

“También sampleas lo que el micrófono toma del lugar”, explica Yorke. “Vuelve a la sala una y otra vez. Cómo sonará eso en un estadio …”, los ojos de Yorke se abren con placer. “Me había olvidado de eso. Puede ser algo”.

 En una tarde de verano en Oxford, Colin camina bruscamente hacia un pub en el antiguo centro de la ciudad, marcando los lugres históricos mientras caminamos. Apunta a la angosta puerta del la prominente galería de Arte Moderno de Oxford. Cuando no estaban tocando juntos en la universidad, los jóvenes miembros de Radiohead se reunían en la sala del sótano, “hablando mucho, cada uno de nosotros con una sola taza de café durante 5 horas”, dice Colin.

 En la esquina, apunta a una tienda – parte de Cult, una cadena de ropa – y remarca con una sonrisa alegre que Thom trabajaba en otra sucursal local como vendedor. Es una imagen improbable: Yorke, un hombre compacto con energía impaciente y una ironía letal, cerrando un negocio por jeans de diseño.

 Al pasar por una cabina de teléfono, Colin recuerda los primeros intentos, accidentados, de Radiohead por grabar discos, antes de lograr el contrato con EMI. “No había e-mail o celulares”, dice el bajista. “Encontrabamos una cabina, poníamos dinero y llamabamos a un estudio”. Una vez, cuando preguntaron cuanto costaba una sesión, “el tipo dijo ‘9 mil libras‘. Dijimos ‘¡gracias!‘ y colgamos”. Al final, Radiohead grabó la mayor parte de su primer álbum, Pablo Honey, en un estudio que pertenecía en parte a un productor que había trabajado con la versión sesentosa y blues de Fleetwood Mac.

Luego está el Bear Inn, un pub antiguo real (abierto en 1242) con techos peligrosamente bajos. Colin, un nativo de Oxford, y Yorke – nacido en una ciudad pequeña de East Midlands, Wellingborough, y criado inicialmente en Escocia – se conocieron en su pre-adolescencia. Ambos tomaban clases de guitarra clásica en Abingdon School, en las afueras de Oxford. En el Bear, ambos se las arreglaban para comprar bebidas a pesar de no tener la edad mínima y hablaban sobre sus ídolos para la banda que planeaban formar: New Order, Talking Heads y el favorito de Yorke, R.E.M.

 Con una pinta de cerveza de por medio, en una mesa de picnic fuera de el Bear, Colin recuerda emocionado “la emoción del ruido” en el primer show local de Radiohead, “cuando tocas en un pub, pidiendo prestado el amplificador de bajo Fender a un tipo mayor y has tomado unas cuatro latas de cerveza para envalentonarte. Hicimos eso para el primer show que hicimos. De esa manera fue un asunto de 20 minutos”. Señala la calle que corre detrás del Bear, hacia Jericho Tavern. Radiohead realizó su primer show en 1986, bajo el nombre de On a Friday, en honor al día que ensayaban normalmente, cuando todos estaban estudiando en Abingdon School. Selway, el mayor, tenía 19; Jonny aun no llegaba a 15.

Luego, parados fuera de un restaurant en un barrio residencial, Colin apunta a otro altar de Radiohead: la casa cerca de Magdalen Road y Rigfield Road donde Colin, Selway y O’Brien alquilaron una casa en el verano de 1991. La banda guardaba sus equipos ahí, y todos los miembros vivieron ahí, en combinaciones variables, durante 4 años. “Buenos tiempos”, dice Colin con un suspiro, “aunque Jonny nunca se encargó del lavado”.

Selway describe ese período como “buen entrenamiento para los buses de gira. Había pilas de cajas de pizza en los rincones. Podía ponerse tan insoportable que alguien tenía que limpiar. Yo iba y venía la mayor parte del año. Creo recordar que Colin se mudó a mi cuarto luego de que lo decoré bastante elegantemente”.

 Yorke llegó luego de graduarse en Exeter. “Vovíamos de los shows”, dice, “y escuchabamos la máquina contestadora. Había mensajes de 10 A&R (Caza talentos)”.

 La casa en Rigfield Road fue el final de la adolescencia de Radiohead – el punto en el que se convirtieron en una banda de tiempo completo obsesionada con su trabajo y progresión. Jonny describe una navidad cuando todavía estaba en la secundaria y los demás volvían de la Universidad: “ensayamos en un salón en la ciudad todos los días, inclusive el día de navidad. Era una locura. No había un concepto. Trabajabamos en canciones por alguna razón futura nebulosa que no habíamos pensado bien todavía”.

“Esos son los momentos intensos que pasamos juntos”, dice. “Es así como ha sido siempre. Nuestro grupo siempre giró alrededor de tocar instumentos, canciones sobre las que hablar”.

“Creo que fue entonces cuando escribimos “Creep“, dice Yorke cuando le preguntamos por esa navidad. “Existen esos períodos cuando estás energizado. No te puedes forzar a quedarte. Pero cuando funciona, cuando sucede y todo es bueno, toda esta mierda ocurre”.

La aversión a las rutas de Yorke emergió bastante temprano. Al igual que su disgusto en el decoro de seguir la corriente que esperaba un sello grande. El manager Edge recapitula “un show famoso” en Las Vegas “cuando hicimos un viaje ridículo debido a la falta de conocimiento de las rutas norteamericanas que tenían los tipos de la promoción. Estabamos haciendo un programa de radio, junto a Tears for Fears, y todo el mundo estaba de mal humor”. Durante el show, “en un ataque de resentimiento”, Yorke destrozó la mitad de las luces del escenario. Edge mantiene que “la idea de hacer algo similar se fue hace mucho tiempo”.

 Pero Yorke recuerda su no mucho más joven ser – particularmente la anti-estrella atormentada documentada en Meeting People is Easy, el documental de 1999 sobre el tour de OK Computer – sin excusas. “Estaba aburrido”, declara abruptamente, en el backstage de Miami, de su aura de zombie oscuro en ese film. “Me encantó ese álbum. Pero la idea de estar atascado con esas canciones durante un año y medio, en la misma forma, sin cambios, sin nada – luché con eso. Terminabamos una canción y yo quedaba parado, inmóvil”.

 “Entiendo ahora por qué hicimos todos esos shows”, confiesa Yorke. “Si no los hubieramos hecho, no estaríamos donde estamos. Pero perdí la cabeza. Hemos pasado por diferentes etapas – esa fue una mala”.

“Lo que es diferente sobre nosotros”, dispara Jonny, “fue que desde el comienzo, nuestra obsesión fueron las canciones. Actualmente salimos de gira como un efecto secundario”.

“No era un grupo de amigos”, observa O’Brien sobre Rigfield Road, “muy diferente a un grupo de co-conspiradores, Teníamos un objetivo común. De eso se trataba todo, de soñarlo. Todo lo que tenemos hoy en día – nunca dudamos que podíamos conseguirlo. Y lo logramos, porque el mundo material así lo hizo posible”.

 “Pero tengo que decir esto – son mis hermanos. Algunos no se han dado cuenta. Pero estaremos en los funerales de todos. Hemos logrado esto. Somos una familia”.

Eso es “algo que no nos reconocemos”, dice Colin. “Somos demasiado ingleses”.

“Hay un lado físico que encuentro interesante – el aliento”, dice Yorke. Trata de explicar a dónde va mentalmente y lo que siente cuando canta. “Es un estado meditabundo, como estar parado en la estación de subte cuando el tren se acerca. Las cosas pasan a través tuyo – los trenes, la gente”.

 “Me llevó unos años saber como hacerlo”, dice acerca de las presentaciones en vivo, durante una entrevista al desayunar en Londres en Julio pasado. “Ver gente como Michael Stipe y Jeff Buckley – me di cuenta de que es un buen lugar a donde ir. Está bien cerrar los ojos”.

 Más tarde ese día, Radiohead se reunió con Edge y Howard para discutir la gira 2012. Luego, O’Brien describió la reunión como tensa. Yorke ya sonaba inquieto mientras comía su omelette de claras de huevo: “el nivel de maquinaria me aterra a veces. Vas al backstage y hay gente y cosas por todos lados”.

“Nunca quisimos ser grandes”, dice. “No quiero ser amado de esa forma. Puedes decir que es egoista. También puedes decir que se trata de alguien que logra lo que quiere: tratar de joderte”. Yorke articula la última frase sin entusiasmo.

“Porque de eso se trata todo”, continúa, “tirando la red abierta, creando caos y confiando que algo vendrá de eso – sin entrar en pánico, simplemente siguiendo la fe ciega y las partes en movimiento. Esta idea – ¿dónde estaremos en cinco años? A la mierda con eso. Yo solo estoy buscando los diamantes en bruto”

“Thom tiene el detector de mentiras más afinado de la banda”, dice O’Brien, con admiración, en Miami. “Es ese balance – una vida intensamente crítica, con una habilidad de sentir, una gran intuición. No estamos tomando las decisiones más inteligentes en cuanto a los negocios. Pero seguimos nuestra intuición. Es sobre el arte”.

 “Es un trabajo en desarrollo – esa es la parte que me gusta”, confirma Yorke justo antes de la última práctica. Luego dice algo más. “Pensaba, mientras estaba de vacaciones hace poco – he estado haciendo esto más de la mitad de mi vida”. Pausa. “¡Es una locura!” proclama Yorke con una risa sorprendente. “Y es bueno. Es un trabajo – y uno bueno”.

 “En realidad necesitamos ir al escenario y ver dónde estamos”, declara, listo para tocar. “Es un escenario grande, y habrá mucha gente”. Más risas. “Pero nos han dicho que está bien”.

For the past few days, I've been working on an English translation of the "Radiohead: amor y luz" that was posted a little while ago. Here is the finished product. I'm sorry if there are a few errors.

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Article source: http://www.frente.com.mx/2012/04/12/radiohead-amor-y-luz/

Radiohead: Love and Light

Their third visit to Mexico is just around the corner. With this in mind, we have conducted this extensive interview with the guitarist of Radiohead, Ed O'Brien, where he talks about what the band does above and behind the scenes, in the studio, and of the unexpectedly happy period that his band currently thrives in.

The lobby of Chateau Marmont emanates as much affluence (or, at least for this journalist, intimidation) as it could muster. It's pure Hollywood, with its architecture hailing from the twenties, and features classic furniture, low light and elegant clientele. It has been the den of celebrities like Fitzgerald and Hunter S. Thompson, Tim Burton and Sophia Coppola, who have produced or devised some of their most memorable works under its roof or in its gardens. In this same lobby, Led Zeppelin rode on their motorcycles and the reverend Manson fell in love with a miss Evan Woods. The pool appears in Lana del Rey's most famous video and, in one of its bungalows, Anthony Kiedis recorded "By The Way". It was also here that the legendary John Belushi passed away. I am just getting used to the springy armchair when my contact approaches. 

He drives me to the restaurant where Ed O'Brien, the guitarist of Radiohead, is sitting alone. He smiles. He vaguely remembers me from the 4 or 5 interviews I have given him (since the first time they arrived in Mexico, when they were still a one hit wonder) and invited me to go up to his room so there would be more privacy. He proudly shows me the Jaguar guitar model Johnny Marr (one of his heroes) finished and will send to Fender. He talks to me about Marr's virtues, of how the old guitarist of The Smiths notably improved it, and plays the guitar a little. On an armchair is a top hat and on a nightstand a mountain of marijuana the size of a baseball. Before starting up the tape recorder, we talk a little about music and who he's listening to. He goes to his computer and plays me Swiss Movement by Les McCann and Eddie Harris.

His band, possibly the most legitimate heir to the Beatles, is in the middle of a tour that will stop at Foro Sol in Mexico City on April 17th and 18th. This is an excuse to chat with O'Brien, a level-headed spokesperson and the best speaker of the group, about the business that the band fully realized and of the surprising moment that Radiohead discovered themselves.

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Since you're coming back to Mexico, how was it for you the first time you visited?

It was a pleasant surprise. We went there for the first time in 1994. We got to know each other better on this tour, don't you think? And to have returned to play at Foro Sol was incredible. The curious thing about it is that it was part of a South American tour that took us from Mexico to Brazil, Chile, and Argentina. What we discovered was that Mexico responds to us the best when we do a tour in the United States. Mexico City could be the height of our North American tours. The spirit of the people fascinated us, and we had a giant party after the second concert.

Your tour began on the first night of your visit to Mexico and I understand that you weren't very comfortable on stage. Does this always happen to you when you begin a tour?

The scale of it all was...you have to constantly get used to these things. It's very overwhelming to leave the stage and have 50,000 Mexican fans showing you their admiration, their support, cheering...it takes some time for you to become accustomed to it all. At the start of the tour there is a transition: becoming the father of a family, a husband...you get past being on stage in front of 50,000 people, since they are two very different worlds. The start of a tour can be complicated. Imagine  any person in this situation. It could be a shock, despite whatever you have done before.

How do you feel the day before embarking on a tour? Are you content? Excited? Nervous?

Well, the beginning of this tour was in Miami -taking three weeks- and it was, above all, very concentrated. There is a lot of work involved. We could take some 55 songs, but then there are many things about them to remember. At this point I really don't feel nervous or excited. I only try to be focused and find myself in the best mental, emotional, and spiritual state possible, because doing shows is something incredible, but it demands a lot out of you. You have to hold off being a husband and father and change yourself into a musician. On the day before leaving on a tour, I try to relax and find myself in placidity and calmness.

After all these years, do all of your tours seem the same or does each one have its share of peculiarities?

They're different. Just before you arrived, I talked a bit with our manager: this tour doesn't seem like anything we have done before. On albums like The Bends, OK Computer, or Kid A, there is a lot of darkness. You hear a very profound melancholy, and the tours were just that, but Radiohead really isn't like that. Now we are love and light, and because of that, these concerts have been very, very different from all the ones before. These concerts are edifying, very much alive and full of love...it's like The Beatles, "All you need is love". It's true. We have found that and we have taken it to our concerts. In the past, we were on stage, seeming distant from the public and it really wasn't like that. Now there is an energy that spreads around, goes out and comes back, and any person in the audience comes back being as important as Thom or myself. We only facilitate love. It's very powerful. These past few weeks, we have offered the most different shows of our careers and, for me, the best we've ever done, because our spirit is different.

What brought the band to this point? What happened?

I talked a little to someone about this and I stated that...we have always moved ourselves. On OK Computer, we entered an incredibly dark place. It was like being in a tunnel, which we were in during OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail to the Thief. It seemed that we had just found our way out, but that was not the case. On In Rainbows, part of the fight was trying to leave that tunnel. When we look at that album, we feel that we had already left that dark place. We didn't want to go back to that because we have spent too much time there. You could be very creative when you're there, but it kills you as a person. It's very tough. It drains you. It's not a good place to be. It also makes you feel bored musically because it only allows you to makes a certain type of music. Now we are in a very illuminated state and creatively different. It's flowing, but in order to get here, we had to overcome the darkness in order to appreciate that. The last two years are a new era of Radiohead.

But isn't the world a much darker place now?

Yes, you're right about that, but in times of darkness, people feel that the light can come. I don't read newspapers because the news puts you in a bad mood. For example, Mexico: 50,000 or so deaths in the past few years. It's terrible, but I don't want that to personally change me. It's not that I don't care, of course I care, but if you are reading the news all the time, it affects your behavior, like when you relate to others. I don't want to walk in fear while in Mexico City worried that some drug traffickers could attack me. When we went to Brazil, the people there told us that Rio was afraid, that they were going to rob us. Dammit, I want to coexist with people, to become infected by their happiness. Yes, there are shitty situations, but I don't want to be afraid every time I go near a Brazilian and think that he's going to con me in some way. And yes, the world is in a dark place, but I also know a lot of people that have been in similar situations and have then found light at the end of the tunnel.

At the point you say that you entered a dark period, there had been much optimism in the world, particularly in the United Kingdom. Tony Blair rose to power, having lived in Cool Britannia (or whatever it is). Now that the world has darkened, you've begun to light up. Is your state of mind a reaction to what happens in your environment?

Yes, though we weren't a part of Cool Britannia. Whatever Thom saw (and said in his lyrics) was that in spite of whatever people celebrated, there had been a lot of shit coming from the truth and people couldn't see it. They were blind to it. We have been playing "The Amazing Sounds of Orgy", a B-side. A dark song written more than 10 years ago that says (singing): "I want to see you smile again/ Like diamonds in the dust/ The amazing sound of the killing hordes/ The day the banks collapse on us". And having anticipated something, Thom wrote something that he had just noticed. There were already signs that the financial and baking system wasn't going to last. The banks effectively collapsed around us 2 or 3 years ago. 

What Thom was doing was seeing beyond what people praised and pointed out the shit around them, and now that it has muddied us over, we need to bring ourselves above it. You have to move forward. Yes, you recognize the signs and the evil of it all, but you can't sit there thinking that it's all so difficult to conquer. You have to think about how you can make yourself a better person, how you can make the world a better place from a modest perspective. Every one of us, with our way of being, can do it. It seems like we can't change anything, but yes, being positive can be contagious to another person. It makes them happy.

So what it means is that there is no point in feeling miserable all the time. We couldn't continue living here if we did. You have to have hope for the future, hope that the world can get better. You also begin to see that things are, in fact, getting better. Yes, the world is in a bad place, but humanity and its potential are both incredible. We could do many things and this is a great time to do them. We are in a crisis, but with each crisis come solutions. If we want, we could make things better, but that depends on us.

I would like to think that you are hoping that something good comes soon.

I don't know about that. We're only musicians. What we put in our music is what we feel. 

Going back to the topic of your tour, how do you decide on which songs to play, how the band is going to sound, how the stage is going to looks and all these different things?

The lighting on this tour is crazy. Andy, the one in charge of it, has worked with us since '94. In November he came to us so he could show us his plan. He wanted something that would be big, and he wanted to go back to using the light tubes that we used on our last tour, but he also built this incredible wall of light made of recycled plastic bottles at the back of the stage. Then we have these screens that move themselves around.

In the case of the songs: we play what we feel is best for this tour. We play The King of Limbs because it doesn't seem like it's perfect to us. Much of In Rainbows is very good. As for the older songs, it's been really interesting to see which ones work for us. For example, one song from OK Computer that really works in our favor is "Lucky", which comes out incredible every night. There's also "Paranoid Android" . We have on stage a second drummer alongside Phil, Clive Dreamer, and he gives the song such an incredible groove. We played "No Surprises" during our sound check and it sounded awful. It's very interesting to see which songs work and which ones don't.

We always play "The National Anthem" off of Kid A but it still doesn't feel right. We've already played it two times on this tour and it just doesn't work for us. On the other hand, "Kid A" sounds surprisingly good. Same with "Pyramid Song". Last night, we played "Packtd Like Sardines In a Crushd Tin Box" and it sounded good. A little half-baked, but it comes close to what we're looking for.

Our spiritual and emotional state is what determines which songs work for us. As an example, "No Surprises" doesn't work at the moment because it's such a sweet and pretty song and to find ourselves consumed by its melancholy, by the darkness that I told you about up until now, would bring about an interesting kind of tension. Now that we're content, full of love and happiness, when we play this song it's sickly sweet. It doesn't contrast with anything. It's just too sweet. 

Does the rest of the band coincide with you on these kinds of feelings?

Yes. Myself, in particular. I can be very expressive about all kinds of things. I'm one who would come out to say, "Stop! There's such a pathetic amount of love here,". I'm just like that. It isn't something that's very English, but then again, I'm not someone who's very English. Like I told you before the interview, my grandmother was born in Mexico. But in general, we agree on a lot of things. We all know that we are living in a great moment, that this is another kind of tour for us.

And why have you included a lot of B-sides in your repertoire? Is it to surprise the fans?

Yes, it's to surprise the fans, but it's also the result of how good it is to go rediscover songs and see which ones seem best to play. We are a lucky band. We have a huge archive of songs. We don't have to play "Fake Plastic Trees". We don't have to play "Creep", "Paranoid Android", or "No Surprises". I think that people who like Radiohead understand -at this point they should have gotten the message- that we play what we feel is appropriate. We're not planning on deceiving them and we're not going to tell them that it's THE SHOW FROM THE HUGELY-SUCCESSFUL RADIOHEAD. When we go to Mexico City, that's what we're offering them. It's good, it's honest, and it's real. 

I understand that when you do shows for 50,000 people, the majority of them understand what Radiohead is all about, but then there are those that will go home sad because they didn't hear "Creep".

We played it in Mexico. What we can't do is get up on stage thinking that we have to play this or that, because then it's not honest. When "Creep" works is when, all of the sudden, it occurs to us that we should play it. It's not something that we can force out.

So you are at the wrong concert if you hope to see and hear the band's greatest hits.

Yes, but it's an interesting thing to play in a place as big as Foro Sol. We know that there are 50,000 people who want to see a spectacle that spans across the different stages of our career, but they have to be songs that we think we can play well. It's not going to be like a U2 or Coldplay concert. The concert is close to where  the band stands at the moment, and I think the audience understands that. We're lucky in that respect. I hope no one becomes disillusioned at home after a Radiohead concert because we didn't play "Creep".

There could be a percentage of people that know us superficially, that don't understand that we are becoming another kind of band. On stage, it's like a living organism in full transformation.

My impression of the people in Mexico -and correct me if I'm wrong- is that they notice it. They have big hearts and lots of feeling. Because of that, we're going to Mexico as something new. It's an outpouring of emotions, and that's something I like about Mexicans. I feel that there is a lot of honesty with the people of Mexico. It's incredibly powerful.

Going back to the songs at each concert, how do you decide on which ones to play? 

It's very simple. We arrive at the show site at around two in the afternoon. We get there. We have lunch. At lunch, Thom, Phillip, and I put together the setlist. There are certain songs that we know work together. "Bloom" is a really good way to open the show, since it puts us in the right mood. We ask ourselves what we want to play, always looking to see how it flows, how it's all balanced out, and how it can take the audience on a journey. If we can do it between the five of us, there would be a lot of opinions. It works well this way so Colin and Jonny can make observations and suggestions after the concert.

And so you had to choose between 55 songs...

Yes. We tried out a lot songs we didn't know all that well, and then there were 4 days of preproduction in London. 

A question that a pair of fans passed on to me to ask you: Is The King of Limbs a transition album?

It's an album of feelings, compared to In Rainbows, which was a very direct album of songs. Nigel [Godrich, their producer] was around the DJ circuit a lot, so he brought something to the world of the album...

Sorry to interrupt you, but is that why there is such a predominance of rhythms on the album?

Yes, I think so. 

The first thing I felt after listening to it was that the rhythm took over everything else on the album.

Yes, you're right about that. The rhythm dictates the album. It's very important.

And this is reflected in the concert?

Yes. We joke about it and call it the Big Rave. The rhythm is king. Our manager, Chris, says, "It's like a rave with guitarists", and yes, it is. It's fun. We have Clive and Phil on drums and we're moving to another place. We are very fortunate to always find ways to take ourselves to new heights. It's exciting, and I know that I said this before, but it feels better than ever. Last night ,Thom said on stage, "Why do we keep doing this? In order to try new things". Our past is fantastic, but that's not what makes us move forward. We're playing new [unreleased] songs on this tour!

Three, from what I understand.

There's still one more to follow!

After you released the album, you had put out a couple of more songs ["The Daily Mail"] and now you are premiering songs you haven't even recorded yet. Why weren't they included on The King of Limbs?

We didn't record them. "The Daily Mail" came about because we went to work on a program called "In The Basement", which lasts 55 minutes, and The King of Limbs only lasts 38, so we needed more material. We put out "Staircase" when we recorded the album, but at that point, it didn't seem to come out right. "The Daily Mail" we had since 2005, but nothing about it seemed to work for the reasons that they are. And then, literally, in 10 minutes, we finished writing it for the program. I like how we can write a song and as soon as it's there, we put it out. We did it with "Lucky", you know?

Right, for the War Child album...

And it turned up on OK Computer that year. We were kids born in the sixties, and we were influenced by The Beatles and The Stones. They were in the studio recording "Paperback Writer" with "Rain" as a B-side and they put that single out. Two of the greatest songs ever in history were on one of their albums! The Beatles legitimized that so we can do everything else. And they're next to being gods.

Have you rejected the idea of the album?

No, I LOVE the album.

But does Radiohead work on thinking of albums, of EPs, of singles, of songs?

The thing with albums is that they demand to be in a certain mental state. You are going to record a collection of songs that ask for a level of compromise and concentration that's sufficient, but it isn't the easiest thing to do. When we made The King of Limbs we were just like that. The music that we put out in between albums is very different. It has a little of this and a little of that. "Supercollider" is very different from "The Daily Mail".  We love the mentality of those B-sides. We have made ones that were very good and ones that were very important because you make them with a freedom that you don't have while recording an album, which can be incredibly tedious.

I imagine that in order to record a good album and make it worth something, you should have enough things to say on it...

You're right. From the point of view of the lyricist, you have to have something coherent to say. The B-sides don't ask you for anything. It could be a song from 10 years ago that works. Then, when we are recording an album, we are living in that moment, with more rigor than before. When we're not, we're only thinking about writing songs that we like.

I'm going to go back to the question about transition. I think that the two fans that wanted me to ask you their question felt that there will be an important change in Radiohead from The King of Limbs onward.

Totally. It's "Radiohead MKIII".

Which one was MKII? Was it back during Kid A?

Yes. MKI was from Pablo Honey to OK Computer. MKII from Kid A until the recording of In Rainbows, and MKIII are the last two years. This is an age of love, happiness, and light. 

You talk about that a lot. Is it much easier to be Radiohead today than 10 years ago?

Definitely. It's a beautiful place where we are now. It's always been very natural, never forced. Ten years ago, it was much more difficult. It wasn't necessarily the band, but perhaps ourselves as individuals. We changed and evolved, but things grew dark. It was hard and not fun at all, but you endure it and you don't give up. Everything that's worth something in life can be difficult to maintain at times. There is always something to strongly hold on to, something to endure. What I have learned from life is that bad things don't always last. It's then that you show the strength of your character and things change. The darkness only lasts a moment. It passes and everything becomes easier. That's what life is about. It's in cycles, I believe.

That's how it has been with Radiohead. Now I'm glad that we are in a wonderful period of our career, that the shows flow, and that everything is different. It's another kind of feeling.

As for the people that surround you, your producer or for example Andy, your light technician, who have been with you for almost 20 years...do they perceive this state of mind and do they incorporate it into their work?

Andy talks about that with Thom, but above all, he's creative, a master with a lot of intuition. We know him well. We don't spend a lot of time together, but he understands what we feel and what we want, and adds beauty, color, and drama. As the tour moves forward and satisfyingly grows, he makes it better. All of the show grows, and every time we treat it, it gets better.

At the end of the tour, what is there: a worn-out band or the best show of the tour?

It's not set in stone. That doesn't depend on us. It depends on the public. They play a bigger role than all of us. 

An account of a long time fan's first concert (and the journey getting there).

March 15th, Jobing.com Arena, Glendale AZ


I discovered Radiohead in 2000 after 4 different people recommended them to me.  I was advised to start with OK Computer and from first listen I knew I had come across something special.  Someone told me to try The Bends next.  Again- amazing.  I don't think those two cds left my player for 2 years.  When I was finally able to try something new, I bought Amnesiac, which was the newest album they had come out with.  It threw me for a loop for a few listens- it was different, but boy I warmed up to it fast and was excited for the new sound.  For the next few years, I lived in my own Radiohead world. I read a few magazine articles and a few interviews, but mainly, I just listened to the music and bought albums in my own time, getting to know them one by one.  I didn't feel the need to rush, I wanted to savor each album until I could feel it deep in my bones. 


It was around the time In Rainbows came out that I finally caught up.  I bought In Rainbows a few months after it's release and I don't have to tell you guys that it was amazing.  After that, I started looking up all I could and getting into what was happening currently.  There was a tour, but it came at a bad time for me.  I had a baby that year, and we were super strapped financially.  They don't come where I live (Utah), so I would have had to travel and we just couldn't do it.  I watched the tour happen.  I looked at pictures and videos.  When they played that final show in Santa Barbara with the streaming, I was there, in bed on my laptop and headphones next to my sleeping husband, cheering and crying, rejoicing for the awesome show and grieving for my loss.  It wasn't right not to be there, but I wasn't and I vowed that night that I was not going to miss them again.  I'd go without food for a month if I needed to. 


Time passed, and in 2009 I drove down to Vegas with my brother to see the Pixies which is the band he has been obsessed with forever.  It was his concert of a lifetime.  I loved it and loved being with him seeing him see his favorite band.   We had a blast we had and he promised he would be there when I got to see Radiohead.  I had no idea if they would tour again.  Didn't know if there would be a new album, but I couldn't imagine never being able to see them live.  Especially since my brother didn't think he had a prayer of ever seeing the Pixies- but a miracle happened and they reunited for a tour.  I figured I had a good chance.

Enter 2011 and The King of Limbs.  I hoped against hope they would tour for the album.  I wasn't sure they would.  I started hearing interviews with band members hinting at such a thing.  I didn't want to get my hopes up.  Then Thom made it pretty clear one day that it was happening.  After that I let myself finally believe that it is possible.  I waited for announcements. The ticket thing was a nightmare-  presales happening on the day of my niece's wedding and stuff like that, I won't bore you with the details.  We were finally able to score seated tickets in Glendale Arizona- a 12 hour drive away.  I couldn't imagine not being on the floor, but after all the ticket nightmares so many people experienced, I felt lucky to have a ticket.  They were good seats, lower bowl, Jonny's side of the stage, first section by the stage.  I brought binoculars anyway, thinking I could watch them up close when I wanted.  We were only able to get 2, so my brother's wife who also came, got a seat close, but in the upper bowl.  My bro and I are the bigger fans, and she was totally cool with sitting up there.  We brought her binoculars too.  I had a good attitude about having seats.  I did but couldn't help feeling a little sad, knowing my place is down below on the floor.  I later saw fans on WASTE and the facebook page with extra floor tickets I probably could have scored, but we already had our tickets and I couldn't ask my crew to shell out more money for more tickets, so I accepted my seats and was super excited about it.  We also planned to look for an opportunity to sneak to the floor at some point during the last few songs, but I had very little hope in that plan.

Wednesday, the day we left came, I hated leaving my husband at home, he is a fan too (not a super fan, but would have loved to go).  He couldn't miss school and work.  He called me around noon on the day of the concert and told me how excited he has been all day thinking about me going to the concert.  He said, "it's not everyday that someone's dream comes true".  He gets it.  I Brought my sisters and my little girls for the road trip (my siblings and I get along  great and have a lot of fun together).  They dropped us off at the venue and watched my girls for the concert.  We arrived at 5:30 and went to the gates and got our tickets and two old ladies were minding the tickets and scanning cards.  After verifying and giving us our tickets, they slapped wristbands on us and we thought nothing of it.  We had our tickets and our seats, so we turned around and left and wandered around the stores until concert time.  We decided to head back at 6:30 and went to get our tickets scanned and the guy that scanned mine told me that GA was over there.  I said, "I don't have general admission" and showed him my ticket.  He said that he was surprised they gave me that and pointed to my wristband.  This didn't happen to my brother, but my wheels started turning.  I pulled him aside and whispered that I think they gave us wristbands for the floor by mistake.  We were in shock.  We walked around a little trying to process this information and decide what to do. I knew people had been waiting all day to get a good spot and thought the floor might already be totally packed and we would be in the far back and maybe our seats would be a better option.  I have enough respect for the people that waited all day to even try to get in front of any of them.  We peaked inside and it was far less packed then we had dreamed.  We got super excited.  Our minds were definitely made up- then we gave his wife our tickets and binoculars so she ended up having a better seat too.  We hugged her goodbye, showed our wristbands to the lady on the stairs and couldn't believe we were walking to the floor.  Jonny's side was even a little less crowded.  I seriously could not believe what was happening.

I found myself standing on the floor, about 40 feet from the stage (about 9 people back) in shock.   We started talking to the people around us.  I made some great friends.  It was great to talk to fans who get it and love this band like I do.  We talked about the order we got the albums, we talked about songs that moved us first.  We just talked Radiohead.  The opening band was good.  I enjoyed them for a few songs, then it just got too close and my brain checked out of anything that wasn't Radiohead.  My head buzzed that it was really this close.  I couldn't BELIEVE I was where I was.  It was a miracle.  I found out later what a pain everything was for the devoted fans that waited all day outside.  I heard about the run around they got.  I feel terrible and hope I don't offend any of them that I got a wristband having a section seat.  But I came much after they were in place by the stage and I didn't elbow my way to get closer to the stage.  I want you all to know that it felt like a miracle to this long time fan that suffered ticket nightmares, long mornings hitting refresh refresh refresh on waste and ticketmaster, only to get shut out again and again and again.  We tried for 4 different concerts.  I felt that night, standing there, like the fates stepped in and granted me my rightful spot- where I belonged.   I got to stand and cheer when the guys finally came on stage.  I was where I should be and I was stunned by the amazing luck I had found.  It was magic.  All I could do was point and think, "there's Jonny!"  "Holy crap- there's Thom!"  "Look at Colin!  He is adorable!" etc, etc.....

Those feelings lasted all night.  They really did.  I was hit with double disbelief- actually watching them before my eyes for the first time and being where I was, when a few hours before I was resigned to sitting in my section.  It was sensory overload.  It was amazing.  It was everything I ever dreamed it would be.  Have you ever had expectations for something for so long that when it finally happens, it is a bit of a let down?  Well, this was everything I could ever have wanted it to be.  Radiohead exceeded some very, very high expectations.  Thom was even in an extra good mood because it turned out to be the last concert of the first leg of the tour and he was excited to go home and see his family for a few weeks.  He didn't stop dancing all night.  He was a power house.  He had more charisma and energy then I could have imagined and I was enchanted and under his spell.  I have always been a Jonny superfan.  I think he is BRILLIANT.  I was in awe of being able to watch him work.  It was like a dream.  I was stunned.  I had a hard time getting over that.  My biggest surprise of the night was how utterly cute Colin was.  He was just so happy and cute.  I've always thought of him as the most "English gentleman"ish of the lot, and love to hear him in interviews, but boy, he was more adorable in person watching him be in his element then I ever thought.  The lights, the monitors, the art of it all together with the music was truly unforgettable.  Some unforgettable moments of the night:  1. Packt Like Sardines-  holy crap!  What a surprise and what a great song to hear live!  It was sooooo cool.  2. Thom letting loose all over the stage- dancing and singing to Lotus flower with three giant maracas in one hand.  3.  Seeing all the little noises that happen in a Radiohead song being played by actual instruments live instead of just sounds generated by a computer and in the same vein- watching them loop a part of the song right in front of you and playing it during that song.  Maybe that shouldn't surprise me or be so cool to me, but it was.  They don't take shortcuts and they don't phone it in.  4. A moment at the end of Lucky (my husband's favorite RH song)-  Ed, Thom and Jonny all lined up and playing the crap out of their guitars.  That moment will live on in my mind forever.  5. Paranoid Android.  The perfect topper for the perfect set list.  This was my one song that if I could choose any song in their collection for them to play live.  It was on my "don't dare to dream wish list"  I look at it as the quintessential song that all RH fans need to hear live at least once in their lives.  That song is epic.  It's an experience in itself and I hoped with all my might, I got to experience it.  They closed the show with it and during the last third of the song, my brother said "come on" and I grabbed his arm and we made our way closer to the stage.  We didn't get too far, but were directly in front of Thom, about 5 people back (5 very short people for some reason) and Thom looked at us kind of like- who are these tall freaks that just showed up right in front of me?  We are both a little taller then average and we know we stood out a bit.  It was a magic moment for me and love that my brother thought of that.  6.  When the second encore started and just Jonny and Thom stood together and dedicated Give Up the Ghost to their families.  In the silence before they started I breathed out, "this is going to be good" and the guy in front of me heard, turned around and nodded.

 There was a boy we met and talked to a lot before the show named Marcus and we ran into him after the lights came up and we just looked at each other and hugged.  We had shared an amazing experience.  We had bonded in our shared love of a band.  For days I felt like giving every one I met a hug, I was so filled with happiness. 

Well, that was one long time fan's first Radiohead concert experience.  Hope it was worth reading (if anyone indeed made it though this beast of a post).  For anyone that is reading this, waiting for their first Radiohead concert, I have this to say:  You are in for the best night of your life.  It is worth every moment of the wait, every click of the refresh button.  I envy that you have it ahead of you, but I am also happy to have my memories I will never forget.  And the thought that they will tour again some time in the future, cause I will be there, no matter what it takes.  They truly ARE the best band on earth.

Hey does someone know if this website http://tickets.waste.uk.com has something to do with the presale? Aha I'm so determined to get my tickets! And what's the matter with the presale code ? How can I get it and when I have it, what I have to do with it ?

Wanna see Radiohead live pleaaaaase