Members of Radiohead have shared that grief and depression contributed to their seven-year hiatus from touring.

The band has recently announced a series of European shows, marking their first live performances since the 2018 tour for A Moon Shaped Pool.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, lead singer Thom Yorke revealed he struggled to cope with the death of his ex-wife in 2016, while guitarist Ed O’Brien disclosed that he had expressed a desire to leave the band.

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“I guess the wheels came off a bit, so we had to stop,” Yorke stated. “There were many factors. The shows felt great, but it was like, ‘Let’s halt now before we walk off this cliff.’”
He added: “I needed to stop anyway… I hadn’t really given myself time to grieve. It was manifesting in ways that made me think, ‘I need to take this away.’”

Yorke mentioned that he even found it difficult to seek comfort in music. “The idea of having to stop it, even when it makes sense to… I can’t. I need something that I can hold on to.

“But there have been times in my life when I have sought solace in music and played the piano, but it literally hurts. Physically. The music hurts because you’re going through trauma.”

Why Ed O’Brien Told Radiohead He Was Done

O’Brien expressed feeling anxious when the band reunited for experimental jams last year. “I was effectively over Radiohead… It wasn’t great on the last round,” he explained. “I enjoyed the gigs but hated everything else.

“We felt disconnected, completely spent. It happens. … Look, success has a funny effect on people – I just didn’t want to do it anymore. And I told them that.”

This led to what he described as a “long dark night of the soul.” The guitarist recalled, “I experienced deep depression. I hit rock bottom in 2021. One of the wonderful things that emerged from it was realizing how much I love these guys.

“I met them when I was 17… I went from thinking, ‘I can’t see myself doing this again’ to realizing that we do have some stellar songs.”