Guitarist Ed O’Brien on the Future of Radiohead: “It Might Happen”

Radiohead fans know the band hasn’t been active recently. More recently, members of the famed rock group have been performing under the new band moniker, The Smile.

Well, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien has now shared his thoughts on the status of the legendary group, saying that the band is not currently active and, well, there are as of yet no plans to be so in the near future.

In a new interview with The Line-Up Podcast, O’Brien said succinctly, “There’s no Radiohead at the moment.”

O’Brien added, when asked whether the group would get back together, “It might happen, but the other thing is… it might not.”

The six-string player continued, “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.

“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,” he said.

In the end, though, O’Brien remains hopeful about the band doing something together in the future.

He said, “We love one another. We’re brothers. We probably will play together. 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.”

Radiohead released their most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool, in 2016. The band last toured in 2018. O’Brien released his debut solo album, Earth, in 2020. He has another set for release later this year.

Photo by Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images