Radiohead

Elective affinities and unlikely influences. It's hard to imagine two bands more different from each other than Queen and Radiohead. Yet it was thanks to the former that the latter came into being, in a way. The reasons were recounted by the Oxford band's frontman, currently gearing up for their return to touring after seven years.

Thom Yorke was just seven years old when he decided he was going to become a rock star. What sparked that calling was a Queen song: the monumental "Bohemian Rhapsody", included on the 1975 album "A Night At The Opera". "I was obsessed with Queen when 'Bohemian Rhapsody' came out", the frontman of Radiohead and The Smile recalled in 2019, as a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. "I remember once, at a friend's house: I lay down in front of his stereo speakers listening to the track. At that moment I decided: yes, this is what I'm going to do".

At first, however, Yorke didn't picture himself as a singer. As he recounted in Jason Thomas Gordon's 2023 book "The Singers Talk", his dream was to become a guitarist: "I didn't picture myself as someone who could stand in front of a microphone. I loved Queen enormously, but I didn't see myself as Freddie Mercury. In my head, I was always Brian May".

It was in fact the Queen guitarist who became a concrete source of inspiration for Yorke. In an interview given to Hot Press in 1997, the singer recalled confessing to him in person the impact he'd had on him: "I once met Brian May and told him: 'You know, you're the reason I spent months and months in my garage trying to build a guitar'. I didn't have the right tools, just a bloody hacksaw and some brass fittings to smooth down the edges".

The result, he admitted, wasn't exactly impressive: "It was literally hacked together with a hacksaw, it came out terribly". Fortunately, he told Desert Island Discs, his father "felt so sorry for him" that he bought him a real guitar.

Even though they were never an actual influence on Radiohead's sound, Queen continued to hold a certain fascination for Yorke. In 2013, interviewed by Daniel Craig for Interview Magazine, he recalled the impact of the label that would go on to sign them: "We were wary of major label interest. Then we met the people at EMI in England and walked into the Parlophone offices: gold records everywhere, Beatles, Queen, you name it… It was kind of like saying: this is where we need to be!".

And when asked in 1997 whether he still considered himself a Queen fan, Yorke replied: "Well, yes, more or less. To a certain extent. You can't help but admire them". He then added: "I've heard stories about Freddie Mercury, from someone who worked with him, that apparently he wouldn't talk to anyone, never gave interviews. And yet, when he got on stage, you'd see him completely focused and euphoric, but in private he was the exact opposite: sensitive and very shy. I always found that fascinating, it was like he was two different people".

Radiohead are gearing up to return to the stage after seven years away. The British band has announced a fall tour with twenty dates across five European cities, four of which will be in Bologna. Their last show dates back to August 1st 2018, when they wrapped up the tour behind “A Moon Shaped Pool” in Philadelphia. Tickets are already completely sold out, though one more window remains open: the official resale will begin on October 13th, through authorized channels and at fixed prices, with only service fees added on top.

Fans' anticipation is naturally also focused on the setlist for the live shows. Bassist Colin Greenwood shed some light on the matter as a guest on Adam Buxton's podcast: “I think it'll be a mix set. I believe we've whittled it down to about 70 songs. My brother Jonny and I aren't part of the committee that decides the setlist, we're not allowed, because we're too indecisive.” Greenwood then added: “We'll play anything, in any order, at any time. We have a busker's attitude toward the Radiohead setlist. I think this will be the first time we've done shows without any new material in the works, but you never know: there might be surprises, or there might not.”

The online calendar on the official website also includes several consecutive shows in each city. Here are the dates:

• Madrid (Movistar Arena) – November 4, 5, 7, 8
• Bologna (Unipol Arena) – November 14, 15, 17, 18
• Londra (The O₂ Arena) – 21, 22, 24, 25 novembre
• Copenhagen (Royal Arena) – December 1, 2, 4, 5
• Berlin (Uber Arena) – December 8, 9, 11, 12

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

11/02/2026