Radiohead

From the sleepy market town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire spawned everyone’s favourite misfits. Radiohead materialised through the shared interests of Abingdon School students Thom Yorke, Ed O’Brien, Philip Selway and brothers Colin and Jonny Greenwood. This shared interest was one of evasion. The geeky music fanatics found solace in the music department from the oppressive forces of fellow students and Dickensian teachers.

Setting off with the not-so-catchy name On a Friday, the group fumbled through the basic formalities of music theory to emulate some of their favourite bands. Major influences in these formative years included Joy Division, The Smiths, Pixies, R.E.M. and Talking Heads, whose 1986 track ‘Radio Head’ inspired a more permanent name.

Following half-hearted efforts at conventional life, the band members returned from various university endeavours to give their band a concerted push for success. A big break came in 1993 courtesy of ‘Creep’ a song that fellow Abingdon School alumnus David Mitchell picked out during his appearance on BBC’s Desert Island Discs. The acclaimed comedian introduced it as “a brilliant song, but the words are so depressing, and I like to think of it as our school song. I would like one day, as a stunt, to arrange for all of the pupils in Abingdon School to stand up in chapel and sing an organ arrangement of this song.”

Following the world capturing ‘Creep’ and its accompanying debut album, Pablo Honey, Radiohead worked toward a more polished sound for 1995’s The Bends. The album was a commercial sensation thanks to its balanced array of grunge-inspired indie hits that stood at odds with the burgeoning Britpop scene led by Oasis and Blur at the time.

What sets Radiohead apart from their contemporaries is a fearless urge for sonic exploration. Where Oasis found a niche in money-printing anthems and stuck with the formula, Radiohead made sure they brought something new to the table with each album. Ok Computer, the band’s 1997 masterpiece, came as a shock to the system. The angsty alt-rock concept album dragged rock innovation a rung higher at a time when many felt a ceiling overhead.

Once again, Radiohead tested their fans’ allegiance at the turn of the millennium with the electro-inspired Kid A and its jazzy follow-up Amnesiac. These albums reflected frontman Yorke’s restless creativity as he looked to channel a newfound interest in experimental electronic music from the likes of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Squarepusher.

Over the first two decades of the 21st century, Radiohead continued to explore their sound with four further studio albums, the latest being 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. When inducting Radiohead into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, Talking Heads frontman David Byrne oozed with praise for the band and described A Moon Shaped Pool as “cinematic”.

At present, it is unknown whether Radiohead will return, but with Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s side project, The Smile, taking the limelight of late, it could be a while before our prayers are answered.