Radiohead Drummer Address Breakup Rumors

Radiohead has not released a new studio album since 2016, but drummer Philip Selway believes the group is still together. Rumors that the group split surfaced after Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood established a new band, The Smile, with drummer Tom Skinner. Even as he prepares to release his third solo album, Selway believes the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are not done yet.

“As far as I know, we’re still a band,” Selway, 55, told Spin. “If anybody knows any different, I’d be very interested.” Selway went on to describe the group’s individual projects as all part of the Radiohead universe. “For me, whatever we do, it all falls under that umbrella of the five of us,” he said. “Ultimately, it all feeds into it.”

Radiohead finished their last tour in 2018 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following year. Since then, all five members of the group have been slammed with work. The Smile released their first album, A Light for Attracting Attention, last year and have continued playing new songs on tour. Guitarist Ed O’Brien is working on the follow-up to his 2020 solo album Earth. Bassist Colin Greenwood is touring with Nick Cave. Selway just finished his third solo album, Strange Dance, which will be released on Feb. 24.

Elsewhere in his Spin interview, Selway could not say enough good things about Yorke and Greenwood’s The Smile project. Since he’s not the person sitting behind the drunk kit while they play, Selway said he enjoyed hearing them from a new perspective with Skinner.

“There’s always these amazing grooves happening – Tom comes from a jazz background and has all those jazz chops,” Selway said. “I think there’s a particular dynamic between the five of us [in Radiohead], which I think we’re all so proud of. It’s developed from us basically learning our instruments together. But it’s such a healthy process when we step outside of Radiohead and reach beyond that, [when we] see what these other musical voices can do with your ideas.”

Radiohead’s most recent album is A Moon Shaped Pool, which was released in May 2016. However, they did give fans Kid A Mnesia, a reissue of the albums Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) that included a disc of previously unreleased material. When asked if the band planned a big reissue for their 2003 album Hail to the Thief, Selway couldn’t say.

“We’ve been very focused on the whole Kid A/Amnesiac thing, and I think that’s coming to its natural conclusion, going back through the reissue and [creating] the game scenario around that,” he told Spin. “We’re going to get together at the start of [2023], and I’m sure we’re going to start looking at other ideas for what comes next. Hail to the Thief – it’s a long time since that record, isn’t it?”