Radiohead Live Dates Announced

News broke a few days ago that Radiohead when Ed O'Brien pronounced the band would be "on the road from the end of February to November"; Alas, sadly no firm dates accompanied the announcement.   Good news then, all of you excited event planners and calendar jugglers the first announcement of the band's live plans has just come out.

The initial announcement is ten US tour dates, which begin at Miami's American Airlines Arena on February 27^th and end at Glendale's Jobing.com Arena on March 15^th. Rest assured, the band are expected to announce more dates in the coming weeks, but have not said when this will be as yet.

Exciting news though, this might be just the excuse you need to break the monotony of winter for a trip to the American south.  Looks like nice sized venues too!

Radiohead Tour 2012 (First Dates):

Miami American Airlines Arena (February 27)
Tampa St. Pete Times Forum (February 29)
Atlanta Philips Arena (March 1)
Houston Toyota Center (March 3)
Dallas American Airlines Center (March 5)
Austin Frank Erwin Center (March 7)
St. Louis Scottrade Center (March 9)
Kansas City Spirit Center (March 11)
Broomfield 1st Bank Center (March 13)
Glendale Jobing.com Arena (March 15)

Your Weekly Download Lowdown

(Catching up on some stuff you may have missed over the holidays.)

Download Radiohead Concert Film

Just into 2011 and rumours abound that Radiohead will be releasing new music this year. For those Paranoid Androids that just can’t wait- a special treat. Last January, the Oxford quintet put on a very exclusive (limited to only 1400 fans) show in Los Angeles to raise money for Haitian earthquake relief. Thanks to a handful of ardent fans supporters, an official two disc DVD consisting of footage from the concert, videotaped by fourteen different fans, and a few audio tracks is available for download, and is even streaming on Youtube. All twenty four songs performed are featured in the film; the setlist (see below) including classics from The Bends to 2007′s In Rainbows. All Radiohead asks is that you donate to Oxfam Charity in return.


You might recall a fan made concert film sanctioned by the band with high quality audio supplied by them, that was made available last August. Great stuff there too!

You can find all the links to download this two hour concert film here. Again, if you do download the film, all Radiohead asks is a donation to Oxfam in return.

So Radiohead fans... Give early and give often.  This one is very much worth it.

Setlist:

Faust Arp
Fake Plastic Trees
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
National Anthem
Nude
Karma Police
Kid A
Morning Bell
How To Disappear Completely
Wolf at the Door
The Bends
Reckoner
Lucky
Body Snatchers
Dollars & Cents
Airbag
Exit Music (For a Film)

Encore:
Everything In Its Right Place
You and Whose Army?
Pyramid Song
All I Need
Lotus Flower
Paranoid Android
Street Spirit

Hey Thom, I !*#$ing Shot That!

A casual search of via YouTube always reveals any number of fan made concert videos. Usually shot on camera phones, (some apparently on pin-hole cameras) they are simplistic in approach and some manage to capture perfomers in their glory. Amateur Czech film-makers have now taken it one step further by releasing their own DVD featuring a little English upstart called Radiohead. The band have even thrown their support behind the live venture by providing the actual soundtrack to the East European auteurs amateur shots. The band generously provided pristine audio masters to the makers of Prague DVD, a DIY concert film shot in concert there on August 23, 2009.

Samples of the project have been uploaded to YouTube for preview. The final product featuring the work of ninety people. If you visit the Prague DVD website, you can download the entire set for free, in multiple formats. The set includes a version for the iPhone and even a promise of a future Blu-Ray verson. The site's credo- "Strictly not for sale. By the fans, for the fans. Please share and enjoy."

Wise words, this thing is really pretty amazing. Just keep the Gravol handy, the transitions can be a little rough at times.
 
Radiohead are currently working on their eighth studio album.

Download Here

“I Am the Only One That Got Through”

Radiohead Release New Track - “Harry Patch (In Memory Of)”

You may recall recent news that the last living British World War I veteran, Harry Patch, passed away on July 25th, 2009, at the age of 111. News today that a heartfelt tribute has been paid to Patch by Radiohead, who are offering a download of their song, “Harry Patch (In Memory Of),” for a small fee via their official online store. The download will cost £1 (approx. $1.80), with all proceeds going to the UK veterans' charity the Royal British Legion. It can also be streamed via the BBC.

Thom Yorke was inspired to write the song after hearing an interview with Patch on the radio four years ago, and it was recorded during sessions for a new Radiohead album with regular producer Nigel Godrich. Well worth your time I suggest you seek out this worthy track. The lyrics to "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" are, in fact, all quotes from Patch himself. They are currently posted at Dead Air Space:


Harry Patch (In Memory Of)

"i am the only one that got through
the others died where ever they fell
it was an ambush
they came up from all sides
give your leaders each a gun and then let them fight it out themselves
i've seen devils coming up from the ground
i've seen hell upon this earth
the next will be chemical but they will never learn"

Yorke has issued the following statement about the song:

Recently the last remaining UK veteran of the 1st world war Harry Patch died at the age of 111. I had heard a very emotional interview with him a few years ago on the Today program on Radio4. The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me. It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death. It was done live in an abbey. The strings were arranged by Jonny. I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor.

It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us. I hope we do not forget.

As Harry himself said

“Irrespective of the uniforms we wore, we were all victims".

Sooo Kid A… You Wanna Be In Rainbows?

UPDATE: No luck on being able to widgetize and download your edit. It is still an interesting exercise mind you. I'll keep working on it.

And for the record, I think it was this guy that had the idea first.

Well kind of.

I have to admit, I’ve been a little starved for Radiohead content of late. Probably because they were virtual fixtures in my posts this time last year. I happened upon this tonight and I think it’s well worth a few moments of your time. Japanese TV station WOWOW has a feature on their site that lets you mix a video of a live Radiohead performance wowow.co.jp from the Saitama Super Stadium leg of their 2008 Japanese tour. A set of quite aesthetic data visualizations accompanies this online music video mix tool.

The video interface allows you to choose from 12 colour-coded cameras to record your own "rainbow" (the song 15 Step is the opening track from Radiohead's In Rainbows album). You can then play back your edit by clicking and dragging the playhead in the timeline, or view charts of the most popular shots (click on the two buttons on the right side. There's some impressive juggling going on behind the scenes to keep the video playing as you hop from camera to camera. So this is your turn to be the director. Play around a little, it’s kind of fun. I couldn't figure out if there was a way to watch other people's edits or to share your edit, so if you figure it out let me know.

Radiohead to Go Green on Conan

In just two weeks (Monday May 5th) Radiohead will embark upon the first leg of their “carbon footprint friendly” North American tour in West Palm Beach, FL. News today though that the 'lads from Oxford' will make an exclusive appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien", Wednesday April 23 (12:35-1:35am ET).

This time though a deviation from the standard 'Late Night' presentation. Radiohead's performance of "House of Cards," was recorded live, in the "other London" and represents an ongoing effort by the socially conscious band to act in the greenest manner possible. The presentation coincides with NBC's "Green Week" of environmentally conscious programming.

For the trivial among you, Radiohead made their US network television debut on "Late Night" and were O'Brien's first-ever musical guest in 1993. (Bonus points if you can tell me which song they played. More bonus points if you can tell me what colour Thom's hair was.)

My apologies too for the inevitable bleary eyes on Thursday morning. It'll be worth it though.

No-o-o-o-o, No Surprises - Amplive Releases His Radiohead Remix Project At Long Last

Remember in December when the news dropped that a possible hip hop interpretation of Radiohead’s In Rainbows would soon be released? Then the lawyers got involved, someone got their nose out of joint, knickers in a twist, (insert your favourite colloquialism here) and the whole thing seemed like it would just disappear. Turns out that the two artists (or, more likely, their respective management and legal teams) have established an agreement which gives Amplive permission to release his In Rainbows remixes entitled Raindayz Remixes for free to everyone.

Good news indeed. The album is available by clicking on the handy artwork or the link below.

http://www.onesevensevensix.com/amplive/index.html

Trust me though, even if this were not free, it would be worth your time to download and ipodize it. It is really good, or perhaps more correctly, "sick" as my ten year old urban leet speaker would enthuse. Heck, he might even like some of “Dad’s” music now.

So, word to your mother!

(I am such a dork...)

North American Radiohead Tour Details

At long last, the North American Radiohead tour is slowly taking shape. Eight dates have now been announced for May. Venues and dates for West Palm Beach, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, Bristow, St. Louis, Houston and Dallas are now available. (Don’t miss this one Beth!) Click the link for all the deets.

W.A.S.T.E. will be doing a pre-sales offer for those shows on February 14 through waste.uk.com. The general sale date is on February 16 through Ticketmaster. It has now been confirmed that the shows in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver will all take place in August 2008. Dates and venues for these cities will be announced later on.

Don’t miss out on this one. Radiohead are obviously at the top of their game right now. With R.E.M. out on the road at the same time perhaps we’ll see some "old schooly" concert guest cameos. Looks like the Summer 2008 concert schedule is shaping up nicely.

Happy New Year! Radiohead Stylee

The lads from Oxford are at it again. This time another webcast to commemorate the physical release of In Rainbows on New Years Day in the UK. The album will apparently be played in its entirety. Check in around midnight GMT on December 31st; I'm sure you've got nothing better to do at that hour.

Not my favourite cd of the year but very close, the band certainly captured my heart for innovative marketing and pure creative genius.

This information from Thom Yorke himself as captured below from http://radiohead.com

scotch_mist

Dear Reader
Hope you are having a peaceful christmas.
As you may now have heard we will be broadcasting a pre-recording of some songs and other bits on New Years Eve..
you will be able to view it online from here at midnight new years eve, uk time that is...
radiohead.tv
as well as other places that i am not sure about.this is a wee celebration of the release of the physical manifestation of 'in rainbows'.

yours hopefully

Thom

Cryptic Radiohead Announcement

Another cryptic Radiohead message. Follow the links and enjoy. I suspect it will be archived for a period if you miss it.

helo

there will be something on the box tonight

its another test

but right now we are entangled in cables

however

weather permitting

our technical experts will resolve the entanglement

itll be broadcast as a quicktime h.264 stream

if youve got a mac you could read it with quicktime player

if youve got a pc you might need to download the installer (click here to download and install)

then

www2.radiohead.tv

try it about 10 pm gmt

Stanley

RADIOHEAD WEB EXPERIMENT UPDATE

After more than a few technical delays last night at www2.radiohead.tv earnest viewers were handsomely rewarded. After sitting through everything from, a monkey puppet DJing in silence to Thom Yorke spinning his own remixed version of his solo "Harrowdown Hill," the band eventually achieved "web" magic. Thom Yorke last year admitted his desire to cover his "favourite song ever," Björk’s "Unravel." Last night, he got his wish, playing only the piano for a simple, melancholy version of the Homogenic standout; the rest of Radiohead (minus drummer Phil Selway) added gentle ambience. The test broadcast concluded with a soundless video of Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood writing "To Whom It May Concern" and then "I Give Up" in chalk on a mini-blackboard. While the testcast ended up being a success content-wise, we’re hoping the technological lapses are repaired by the time the band’s next rumored webcast airs at some point this early evening.

Isn't it great being a music fan right now?

Radiohead Sell 1.2 Million Copies Of 'In Rainbows'

(Everything Radiohead week continues, all sweetnesss and rainbows. Just wait til the eventual backlash hits...)

By Scott Colothan on 11/10/2007 Gigwise has learnt that Radiohead have sold an amazing 1.2million copies of their seventh album ‘In Rainbows.’

The band and their long-term management company Courtyard Management have remained tight lipped about the exact sales figures, seemingly in a bid to add to keep a mysterious air around the album.

But speaking to a source close to the band last night, we’ve discovered that the Oxford band have achieved this monumental sales figure.

Even if every person who downloaded the album paid just 10 pence, the band will still rake in a massive £120,000. That figure is likely to be higher, with many speculating the average figure will even out at around the £1 mark.

With growing media hype around the release of ‘In Rainbows’, these unprecedented sales figures look certain to keep on rising. If they finally announce a world tour, audience figures are expected to be higher too.

Thom Yorke and co. will cash in again when the payments clear for the ‘In Rainbows’ box set which are on sale for £40 a go.

As expected, Radiohead are the clear victors of this radical way of releasing their album. Their success should prompt other big names to follow suit.

A Review of Sorts – Part II – Radiohead – In Rainbows

Five songs into it now and “All I Need” is rapidly emerging as a potential highlight of the first half of this record. Starting as a meager, reverb soaked piece, the song transforms itself with a stunning orchestral flourish. It is also the most "Radiohead like" song on the record. Not a criticism though, more a guidepost for potential listeners. "Faust Arp" follows and contrary to my hopes is not a direct homage to the German Electronic 1970’s minimalists Faust. But then again I am hardly qualified to know what goes on in the mind of M. Yorke. The song rather, is a acoustic number threaded with enough strings to raise Serge Gainsbourg. The resultant song would have been a good fit on their 2003 release Hail to the Thief.

Next up is “Reckoner”. Certainly recognizable at least in title to the song originally debuted in very different form on their 2006 tour. A notable rocker back then, the number now devoid of the rocking spirit that made it a real concert highlight. Not entirely disappointing, just unexpected.

The laid back "House of Cards" appears next and has a very isolated feeling to it. Very much in keeping with the overall feel of the record. What surely will be a potential highlight of their upcoming 2008 tour, the presentation possibilities with this song are numerous.

“Jigsaw Falling into Place” and “Videotape” fittingly end the record with Thom Yorke at his most vocally astute and lyrically passionate. Definitely more sedate than first group of songs I discussed but entirely appropriate in the most awe inspiring sense. I recall hearing Kid A for the first time and feeling similarly enthused.

In the end is it worthy of the hype? Is it worth the five year wait? ABSOLUTELY. This one is a stunner. Radiohead have reinvented everything with this project and are clearly at the top of their game. I urge everyone to investigate this band further, hopefully in a live environment. They are a truly significant musical entity and I hope they will continue to be so for many years. This band inspires me and enervates me. Their creativity particularly with In Rainbows, astounding. I am very much looking forward to the physical In Rainbows package that will complete this experience and offer some b-sides to boot.

Can you tell I like this thing? I just wonder how I'll get Thom Yorke to sign my digital download next time we cross paths.

Highly recommended.

PPPPP

A REVIEW OF SORTS Part I – Radiohead – In Rainbows

(Radiohead's new album In Rainbows was available to download this morning, with fans choosing exactly how much they wish to pay for the album.) For the record (no pun intended), I paid for the discbox option and the digital download portion was part of that package. Acquisition of said 160k bitrate mp3 files earlier today was efficient and surprisingly fast (less than 2 minutes). With that distribution method alone Radiohead have singlehandedly set the record industry on its ear. Creatively speaking though it's still early and my critical opinions on this one will change. They often do. This has been the case with me for every Radiohead release since 1993. For that reason, it's best not to write a conventional review directly. Further, due to the fact because it's not yet fully clear whether I should be critiquing Radiohead the corporate entity, who have made a soundtrack to their latest commercial outing, or Radiohead the musicians, who have made another album full of conceptual minutiae for fans to love worldwide. For now I offer a review of sorts; Remarks and observations on something important in my life, in all of our lives perhaps. Life changing? Not really. Life affirming? Indeed.

One particularly hot August night ten years ago I had an unusual brush with celebrity behind London’s Centennial Hall. A small throng of fans had gathered for a chance meeting with Radiohead who were in town promoting OK Computer. As he left the building, head “Head” Thom Yorke wryly commented that I appeared to be, “…the only one at the show without pimples”. Marginalization by celebrity is such a capricious thing, (damn you greying temples for belying my age!) but what a story for the grandchildren.

Yes, my teenage days are quite behind me at this point but this morning I felt like I was 15 again. Today I, like so many others was downloading the new Radiohead release, In Rainbows; today, for the first time in a long time I was truly excited about a new music release. My excitement in fact was two-fold. First, that I finally have some new music from the most important band on the planet and second, that this brave step in music marketing was actually working. The new Radiohead distribution model is genius and record companies had better pay heed. The future is now.

Bleary eyes aside, it seems rather appropriate that I hear In Rainbows for the first time in the early morning. These are my initial impressions. The first two tracks "15 Step" and "Bodysnatchers" are like that time in the morning just before the sun begins to squash the darkness of the night before. Announcing its presence quickly and assuredly, the record feels like the calm ‘after’ a storm. It feels exceptionally bright and airy and lacks the compression of earlier recordings. No heavy chords and little to no guitar strumming, In Rainbows is a record full of empty space. For as much as Kid A revelled in its darker themes this one absolutely sparkles. That is not to say it is a cheery romp. The third song “Nude” makes that clear immediately. The fourth track Weird Fishes/Arpeggi was somewhat familiar since the demo showed up earlier this summer throughout the interweb. The results though, even more captivating this time as the song is fleshed out, the treatment exquisite.

To be continued.

New Radiohead - In Rainbows

**UPDATE**

You will eventually have three ways to pick up the seventh Radiohead LP, the Nigel Godrich-produced In Rainbows. It all depends how much you want to pay, which goodies you'd like, and how soon you want the tunes. Observe:

1. As a DRM-free mp3 download, beginning October 10 (and available for preorder now), via www.inrainbows.com . This version contains the 10 tracks that comprise In Rainbows, and you can pay whatever the hell you want for it. This is basically the band leaking the album and asking you for a donation to access it.

2. As part of a deluxe "discbox", available for preorder now and shipping in December. In addition to the 10-track In Rainbows on CD, you also get the release on LP and as a digital download, plus an enhanced bonus CD packed with eight more tracks, photos, and artwork (and an LP of the bonus tracks), plus art and lyrics booklets and some nifty looking packaging. This thing costs £40.00/$81.00.

3. As a traditional CD, available in early 2008. This will presumably cost as much as traditional CDs tend to cost.

What Radiohead is doing here is actually pretty cool. Rather than preface their new album's release with the usual three months of press ballyhoo, only to have it leak at some random time before it comes out, they've kept it completely under wraps, then essentially gone and leaked it themselves. What's more, they've turned this into a moral question of sorts, by giving us the freedom to pay actual money for what amounts to an album leak.

_____________________________________________

At last!

A rather cryptic message on their website, but I'll take it.

New Radiohead October 10th? (soon).

Autumn just got even better.