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Radiohead were recently reunited in the studio to rehearse some of the band’s old songs, bassist Colin Greenwood has revealed.
The musician made an appearance at the Hay Festival Querétaro in Mexico via video call on Sunday (8 September).
Promoting his forthcoming photography book, How To Disappear: A Photographic Portrait Of Radiohead, Greenwood said that the British rock band had been together just a few months ago.
“We did some rehearsals about two months ago in London, just to play the old songs,” he said. “And it was really fun, had a really good time.”
He did not specify which songs the band rehearsed, but fans have speculated that favourites such as “Paranoid Android”, “No Surprises” and “Karma Police” could have been among them.
Radiohead’s five members have alluded to a new project or tour over the past few years, while continuing to work on various solo ventures.
Their most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool, was released in 2016; they last toured in 2018.
In May, Colin’s brother and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood toldThe Guardian how “lots of music is being made” by him and his bandmates: “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.”
All of Radiohead’s members were busy, he added, “just not Radiohead”.
“We’re still talking all the time, we just need to make a plan and get some time together sorted out in advance,” he continued. “I’ve never been very good at that. Too busy d***ing around in this studio.”
Jonny is in The Smile along with Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, and Tom Skinner of the jazz band Sons of Kemet.
The Smile recently announced that their third album, Cutouts, would be released on 4 October, as they shared new singles “Foreign Spies” and “Zero Sum”.
Colin Greenwood is joining Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds when they embark on their upcoming UK and European tour in support of their new album, Wild God, after Bad Seeds bassist Martyn Casey had to withdraw due to illness.
Meanwhile, drummer Philip Selway told Spinin a January 2023 interview that the band would meet up that year: “We’ve been very focused on the whole Kid A/Amnesiac thing, and I think that’s coming to its natural conclusion, going back through the reissue and [creating] the game scenario around that,” he said.
Earlier this year, guitarist Ed O’Brien, who releases solo music under the moniker EOB, told NME that Radiohead were an “ongoing band” who checked in regularly with one another: “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.”
Radiohead is a band of “chapters”, he explained, and they were “wondering what the next chapter will be. That’s what we’ll figure out next.”
