Radiohead in 100 gigs
I won tickets for Aberdeen and that is the only reason I’m going. By rights I should give in and go to bed for a week. I’m too old for this shit, not fit enough, shouldn’t drink every night, shouldn’t worry so much. I should get a budget for my own room so I can… Continue reading 73. Aberdeen, AECC,1 December 2003
I dosed myself up on cold remedies and went back to work. As soon as the tour was over there was an announcement on the Zane Lowe BBC Radio 1 show: Radiohead will play the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios, a special acoustic session and a Q&A to be recorded for his show (now in the… Continue reading 74. London, BBC Maida Vale, 8 December 2003
There will be no gigs in the UK in 2004. Things quieten down a bit. In January Thom writes an op-ed for the Guardian about the Hutton enquiry (his interest in the David Kelly case will eventually surface as the song Harrowdown Hill on The Eraser). In May, the NME make a big fuss about… Continue reading Fylingdales, 25 September 2004
2004 was a long year without any gigs. After the weird disappointment of going all the way to Yorkshire and missing the demo, I jumped at the chance to get tickets for Jonny's collaboration with the London Sinfonietta when it was announced in December. The faithful Radiohead news sites become quicker on the draw than… Continue reading 75 & 76. London, Ether Festival, Royal Festival Hall, 27 & 28 March 2005
There are no more gigs this year. Flipping through my box of cuttings, all mention of the band is limited to Thom's various appearances and utterances on the subject of Climate Change - he's "cashing in the chips of celebrity" with lobbying and protest, working for Friends Of The Earth's Big Ask campaign. Missives from… Continue reading September 2005 A Letter to Loosie
The band surface in April with a big interview in NME, spun out over three issues. Much of what has been going on while they’ve been “away” gets fleshed out. It sounds like a familiar story to me; Thom’s been “freaking out” - on the surface doing all the politicking and protesting – being what… Continue reading 2006 Preamble
Every time we come back after a long stretch with no gigs I realise again now big this band have got and how crazy it is that I’m still here. I only know I’ve been asleep because I have an anxiety dream where I’m pulling my toenails out. Sleeping on the sofa at Kim’s after… Continue reading 77. London, Koko, The Big Ask, 1 May 2006
The week back at work passes in a haze. Koko was at heart a champagne reception for people like David Cameron and Zac Goldsmith, there's even a clip on Newsnight. Basically our ticket money paid for a celebrity chef and load of fizz for politicians, spin doctors and corporate types who got the best seats.… Continue reading 78. Copenhagen, KB Hallen, 6 May 2006
In spite of the late night we’re all assembled in the foyer by 9am as we’re keen to see as much of the city as possible and Kim has to leave at 2pm, she has to be at work on Monday and so she’s bailing out. Gabi and Ken join us and we set off… Continue reading 79. Copenhagen, KB Hallen, 7 May 2006
We are all travelling to Blackpool separately. I arrive after taking an early train to find Keiko smoking a cigarette outside the station. We walk into town and go for a coffee and a chat. There are already funny vibes on this tour, but she managed to speak to Thom in Amsterdam. She heard about… Continue reading 80. Blackpool, Empress Ballroom, 12 May 2006