Radiohead (band)

Radiohead (band)
Name	Radiohead
Caption	Radiohead performing in 2017
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England
Genres	Alternative rock, experimental rock, art rock, electronic
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Parlophone, XL Recordings, Ticker Tape, TBD
Associated acts	Atoms for Peace, The Smile, UNKLE, Beck, PJ Harvey

Radiohead (band) Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon-on-Thames formed in 1985, consisting of five members who achieved international prominence with the 1992 single "Creep" and consolidated artistic acclaim with subsequent albums like OK Computer, Kid A, and In Rainbows. The group's work spans influences from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk, My Bloody Valentine, and James Brown, and has intersected with collaborators including Nigel Godrich, Stanley Donwood, Jonny Greenwood's orchestral commissions, and the supergroup Atoms for Peace. Radiohead have been noted for challenging record-industry norms with innovative release strategies and for integrating electronic experimentation with rock traditions.

History

Radiohead formed when schoolmates from Abingdon School—Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Colin Greenwood, and Phil Selway—began performing covers and original material influenced by The Smiths and R.E.M.. Early demos led to a contract with Parlophone and the breakthrough single "Creep" from their debut album Pablo Honey, which provided tours supporting The Bends and led to festival appearances at Glastonbury Festival and support slots with U2 during the Zoo TV Tour. The band's stylistic pivot on OK Computer reflected engagement with producers, including Nigel Godrich, and themes resonant with contemporary anxieties highlighted at events like the Mercury Prize. Following legal and creative tensions, they departed from major-label norms, self-released In Rainbows via a pay-what-you-want model that sent ripples through EMI and labels such as XL Recordings, and embraced digital distribution debates linked to figures like Steve Jobs. Subsequent periods saw members explore projects with Jonny Greenwood composing film scores for Paul Thomas Anderson and There Will Be Blood, while Thom Yorke formed Atoms for Peace and Jonny and Thom later formed The Smile.

Musical style and influences

Radiohead's sound integrates guitar-driven post-punk textures, orchestral arrangements informed by Jonny Greenwood's interest in contemporary classical composers such as Olivier Messiaen and Krystian Zimerman's milieu, and electronic timbres echoing Kraftwerk and Aphex Twin. Critics have traced aesthetic threads to The Beatles's studio experimentation, Pink Floyd's atmospherics, My Bloody Valentine's shoegaze, and Ryuichi Sakamoto's ambient palettes. Production approaches involve collaborators like Nigel Godrich and engineers associated with Abbey Road Studios and Ridge Farm Studios, with songwriting drawing on literatures and filmic influences connected to Haruki Murakami and Stanley Kubrick. Their rhythmic evolution shows affinities with James Brown-derived grooves and avant-garde composers such as John Cage, while arrangement decisions reflect inspiration from Brian Eno's ambient practices. The band have cited technological interlocutors including Apple Inc. hardware used during recording and digital distribution debates involving EMI and TBD Records.

Members

- Thom Yorke — lead vocals, guitar, piano; solo projects include The Eraser and collaborations with Flying Lotus. - Jonny Greenwood — lead guitar, keyboards, ondes Martenot; film scores for There Will Be Blood and Phantom Thread. - Ed O'Brien — guitar, backing vocals; solo work under the name EOB and collaborations with Beck. - Colin Greenwood — bass guitar; recorded with producers associated with Parlophone and XL Recordings. - Philip Selway — drums, percussion; solo albums include recordings released through Bella Union.

Discography

Studio albums: - Pablo Honey (1993) - The Bends (1995) - OK Computer (1997) - Kid A (2000) - Amnesiac (2001) - Hail to the Thief (2003) - In Rainbows (2007) - The King of Limbs (2011) - A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)

Compilation, live and soundtrack projects include releases associated with EMI, special editions curated with Stanley Donwood, and soundtrack commissions tied to Jonny Greenwood's film work for directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Jane Campion.

Live performances and tours

Radiohead have headlined festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Coachella, and Primavera Sound, and undertaken major tours including the OK Computer Tour, Kid A Tour, and the In Rainbows Tour. Their stage shows have incorporated immersive visuals designed by Stanley Donwood and lighting collaborators who have worked on productions at venues like Madison Square Garden and Wembley Stadium. Notable live events include surprise sets at Latitude Festival and broadcast performances on platforms linked with BBC Radio 1 and Later... with Jools Holland. Tours often featured extended line-ups of additional musicians for brass and string arrangements, reflecting studio layers from sessions at Abbey Road Studios and Ridge Farm Studios.

Awards and legacy

Radiohead have received accolades including the Mercury Prize, multiple Ivor Novello Awards, and Grammy Awards in categories linked to album and engineering achievements. Their disruptive distribution of In Rainbows influenced debates in the Recording Industry Association of America era and inspired artists across indie and mainstream spheres such as Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Björk, Muse, and Beck. Academics at institutions like Oxford University and Goldsmiths, University of London have analyzed the band's cultural impact, while critics at publications including Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Pitchfork have placed albums like OK Computer and Kid A among the most influential of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Radiohead's experiments in format, production, and performance continue to shape conversations within music industries represented by Parlophone, XL Recordings, and independent labels.

Category:English rock bands