Ed O’Brien Claims ‘There’s No Radiohead At The Moment’

July 24, 2022

Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien has given fans an update on the group’s current activity, claiming that the seminal alt-rock band’s future is unclear. The guitarist made the statement in an episode of The Line-Up with Shaun Keaveny podcast, where he said “it might happen, but the other thing is… it might not” when asked if the band would get together any time soon.

Radiohead have not released a new studio album since 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool, nor have they played together since August 2018. In May this year, founding members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood released the debut album of their new band, The Smile.

Radiohead – ‘True Love Waits’

“There’s no Radiohead at the moment,” O’Brien admitted during the interview, which was recorded in April 2022. “There’s a truth to what we do. So we’re not going to be one of those bands that gets together for the big payday.”

O’Brien continued, “The thing with Radiohead, we could do something in a couple years. We might not. But I think what it has to be, it has to be five people going, ‘I really want to do this again with you.’ And I think at the moment, because we’ve done it for so long, we’re all reaching out and having different experiences. And that should be allowed, and that should be encouraged.”

Despite this, O’Brien said he’s “almost certain” that the group will perform together again in the future, though he does issue a caveat that fans may have to make peace with Radiohead potentially never doing anything again.

“We love one another. We’re brothers. We probably will play together,” he said. “It could be that it doesn’t happen. I’m sure it will do. I’m almost certain that it will do. But you’ve got to also be able to be fine with it not happening again.”