Radiohead are an English alternative rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK which formed in 1985. The band is composed of Thom Yorke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, beats), Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboard, other instruments), Ed O’Brien (guitar, backing vocals), Colin Greenwood (bass guitar) and Phil Selway (drums, percussion).
The early years (1992 – 1995)
Radiohead released their first single, “Creep” in 1992. The song was initially unsuccessful, but it became a worldwide hit several months after the release of their debut album, Pablo Honey (1993). Radiohead’s popularity rose in the United Kingdom with the release of their second album, The Bends (1995). The band’s textured guitar parts and Yorke’s falsetto singing were warmly received by critics and fans.
International success (1996 - 2000)
Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer (1997), propelled them to greater international fame. Featuring an expansive sound and themes of modern alienation, OK Computer has often been acclaimed as a landmark record of the 1990s.
A change in style and leaving EMI (2000 – 2003)
Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) marked a change in the band’s musical style. Radiohead incorporated experimental electronic music, krautrock, post-punk and jazz influences into their songs, dividing fans and critics, but they remained popular. Hail to the Thief (2003), a mix of guitar-driven rock, electronics and lyrics inspired by headlines, was the band’s final album for their major record label, EMI.
Independent releases and touring (2005 - 2013)
In 2007, Radiohead independently released their seventh album, In Rainbows, originally as a digital download for which each customer could set their own price, later in stores, to critical and chart success.
In 2011, Radiohead released their eighth album, The King of Limbs - again independently - which was described as an exploration of rhythm and quieter textures.
In February 2012, Radiohead began The King of Limbs world tour - with concerts in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. In early 2013, following the tour, Thom Yorke released a studio album entitled AMOK with his band Atoms for Peace.
A new album on the horizon? (2014 - )
Jonny Greenwood gave various hints that a new album for the band may be on the horizon. In April 2014, Jonny Greenwood was interviewed by Nashville Cream where he said that the band planned on ”meeting up at the end of the summer [2014]” to ”make a plan” for their ninth studio album. Then on the Mary Anne Hobbes’ BBC 6Music show on July 12, 2014, Greenwood stated, ”We’re going to start up in September, playing, rehearsing and recording and see how it’s sounding.”
