More about: Radiohead
Tickets to Radiohead's 2016 world tour went on sale this morning, and naturally there was a pretty insane scramble for fans to get their hands on them - and many have left unhappy and empty-handed (and Thom Yorke is angry too)
The band, who are seemingly gearing up to drop their new album after unveiling 'Spectre' over Christmas, announced details of their UK headline tour earlier this week. To cut down on touts and secondary ticketing, they limited purchases to two per customer when they went on sale at 9am this morning.
Naturally, they sold out in a flash the world over - with tickets to one of their London Roundhouse dates appearing on secondary ticketing site Viagogo for £1,200.
Frontman Thom Yorke could relate:
I'm as fucked off as you are . and am only human .
— Thom Yorke (@thomyorke) March 18, 2016
Naturally, many fans have been left frustrated:
Well, that was a frustrating morning trying to get Radiohead tix. I've identified so many street signs and popcorn pix it's not even funny!
— Christine Yeo (@christineyeo) March 18, 2016
My day so far. Spill coffee everywhere. Spill granola and milk everywhere. Dog won't come back when called.
— Guy (@guyandrewmurray) March 18, 2016
Radiohead tickets sold out.
I've had 2 opportunities to buy tickets to see Radiohead this year and I've woken up too late on both occasions. I hate my life
— Jack (@JackVonGrimm) March 18, 2016
So gutted that not only did I not get tickets for Radiohead, I completely forgot to even try! At least I didn't waste an hour in the queue.
— Tammy Lovell (@tammywriter) March 18, 2016
To sum up the experience of trying to buy Radiohead tickets this morning in single word: Clusterfuck.
— Lloyd Elliott (@Elliott_79) March 18, 2016
.@RoundhouseLDN @radiohead And almost immediately there are tickets on @viagogo for £999. Next time it has to be named and photo ID for all.
— Tim Way (@timway) March 18, 2016
Dear @radiohead, you have many adoring fans left disappointed today. Please play a bigger venue in London soon!!
— Rae Kelly (@raekellymusic) March 18, 2016
Plot Twist: The Radiohead @RoundhouseLDN ticket sale was actually an elaborate prank by this guy: #kaboom pic.twitter.com/T95Pb7O5vW
— Dan Alani (@danalani) March 18, 2016
Still in the queue.. hoping the Roundhouse will find the elusive tickets behind the mixing desk or something... #futile #Radiohead
— Jojo White Feather (@JoJoYomoa) March 18, 2016
how the fuck do people buy tickets for things like radiohead at the roundhouse? i was there as soon as the site loaded up
— kern is a crumb bum (@kern_robinson) March 18, 2016
@RoundhouseLDN @radiohead
— sophie kate (@sophiekate1980) March 18, 2016
Could not be more upset!!!! 😭😭😭
A select few got lucky, of course:
So looks like I'll be seeing @radiohead @RoundhouseLDN in May! Anyone else..?!
— frank (@mrtuition) March 18, 2016
Radiohead tickets at The Roundhouse bagged #Radiohead
— The Upbeats (@theupbeatshull) March 18, 2016
Radiohead 🎉🙌❤️👑🎸🔥
— faiiint (@faiiiiiiint) March 18, 2016
Got me a Radiohead ticket! Can't wait to see them at the Roundhouse! :)
— Josh Emm (@JJEMM2610) March 18, 2016
@thommilson @radiohead Gloat gloat pic.twitter.com/Ivjht5ubhg
— Beatrice Ivey (@beaivee) March 18, 2016
Woohoo I am going to see #Radiohead 💃🏻
— Liz Gough (@LizzGough) March 18, 2016
It looks like album No.9 could drop any day now, especially after the band formed their own company Dawn Chorus LLP - just as they did prior to the release of In Rainbows and The King Of Limbs. We also got our first taste of new material when the band unveiled their alternative James Bond theme song 'Spectre' (much to Sam Smith's dismay).
Now, they'll be playing headline shows of their own. Full dates are below, with tickets on sale here.
MAY 20 AMSTERDAM, HEINEKEN MUSIC HALL
MAY 21 AMSTERDAM, HEINEKEN MUSIC HALL
MAY 23 PARIS, LE ZENITH
MAY 24 PARIS, LE ZENITH
MAY 26 LONDON, ROUNDHOUSE
MAY 27 LONDON, ROUNDHOUSE
MAY 28 LONDON, ROUNDHOUSE
JULY 26 NEW YORK, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
JULY 27 NEW YORK, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
AUGUST 4 LOS ANGELES SHRINE AUDITORIUM
AUGUST 8 LOS ANGELES SHRINE AUDITORIUM
OCTOBER 3 MEXICO CITY PALACIO DE LOS DEPORTES
OCTOBER 4 MEXICO CITY PALACIO DE LOS DEPORTES
JUNE 1 LES NUITS DES FOURVIERES, LYON, FRANCE
JUNE 3 PRIMAVERA SOUND, BARCELONA, SPAIN
JUNE 17 SECRET SOLSTICE, REYJKAVIK, ICELAND
JULY 2 OPENAIR ST GALLEN, SWITZERLAND
JULY 8 NOS ALIVE FESTIVAL, LISBON, PORTUGAL
JULY 29-31 OSHEAGA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL, MONTREAL, CANADA
AUGUST 20 SUMMERSONIC FESTIVAL, OSAKA, JAPAN
AUGUST 21 SUMMERSONIC FESTIVAL, TOKYO, JAPAN
SEP 11 LOLLAPALOOZA FESTIVAL, BERLIN, GERMANY
It's considered an occupational hazard ranking the Radiohead albums. This is because, as well as dedicated, Radiohead fans are fervently aggressive. Though, we think this is a good thing, it's that passion that fuels the debates that make it so much fun to be a lover of music and, more specifically, Radiohead. So, with a plea of mercy, here are the Radiohead albums ranked from worst to best.
8) Pablo Honey: People give a lot of stick to Radiohead's 1993 debut album and while it's not deserving of the flack it gets, when pitted against the higher ranks, it pales in comparison. Adolescent and explorative, Pablo Honey represents a worldwide band-to-be finding their feet - not bad going since 'Creep' is still cited as an era defining single. And while, for many it's considered classic, when you examine the mass transformation Radiohead underwent from that point, the record seems to just simmer as conventional.
7) Amnesiac: Speaking of 'Pyramid Song', Thom Yorke said: "It's the best thing we've committed to tape, ever". An arguable statement that derives from an arguable album. Radiohead's 2001 record was recorded during the same sessions as Kid A and released a year later and, because of that fact, it's pegged as more of a B side collection. The industrial starkness, bar 'Morning Bell', sets it apart from Kid A but fails to achieve the same depth and therefore reverence as it's predecessor.
6) The King of Limbs: The Radiohead album for the weirdos. King of Limbs untethered Radiohead from their alternative-rock crown of thorns and dived into the abstract and endlessly expansive experimentation. The album is a marvel of production and technical achievement but trades tactility for distance and intellectualism. King of Limbs is undoubtedly a fantastic sonic expedition but feels spiritless at times like shadows negotiating the dark, there's a definite presence, you just can't pin it down.
5) Hail to the Thief: An album that thrives in the face of imbalance and mania. Everyone hears different things for that reason. For some, Hail will always be a 'guitar record' because of tracks like 'There There', whereas others appreciate the more subtle electronic compositions like 'Sit Down. Stand Up'. We think it showcases Radiohead's musical diversity across the board as well Yorke dipping into thematics of love and politics - another word for the two-week recorded album would be schizophrenic.
4) Kid A: This is where the leaderboard, if it wasn't already, becomes treacherous. Moving forward, the albums become considered masterpieces. Kid A is, without a doubt, a masterpiece. Built from the ashes of an exhausted Yorke after touring OK Computer relentlessly, Kid A pushed Radiohead into uncharted territory, turning their hand to electronic and classically inspired pieces. The crystalline peaks on the album's cover capture the essence, it's cold, distant and has an infinite staying power - the sounds of Kid A will continue to echo as long as rock music prevails.
3) OK Computer: The only way to discuss OK Computer honestly is to cast your mind back to the first time you heard, the first time 'Airbag' inflated your ears with it's dissonant majesty. At this point, OK has been taken apart, put back together and ranked so vigorously, the essence of the record has become faded for some. Take a day to remind yourself of the overwhelming amount of legacy this record has created, it's literally prophetic. Between the whirring sonics, inexplicable aesthetic and generation defining songwriting, OK Computer will always be Radiohead's centrepiece.
2) The Bends: An all-encompassing rock record from the band that "can't just do rock records". The Bends symbolises Radiohead reaching a creative peak in one range of mountains that they set to and continue to conquer. It feels organic and visceral throughout and never compromises sensitivity for the outlandish. Radiohead dug deep only two records in and transformed into a personality band; a band that reflected their characters in their musicianship - a singular facet that enabled them to dare to have the career we admire to this day.
1) In Rainbows: Creativity is an never-ending concept, it's what makes the existence of it so abstract. In Rainbows is creativity in singularity form. Radiohead have always transcended convention but In Rainbows trifled with sounds of celestial proportions. It rolls up the emotional spectrum and distributes it out one track at a time. We spoke before of Radiohead 'the personality band' and we truly believe In Rainbows is the topography of their souls. It's complex and insatiable but emotionally resonant, an otherworldly record created for the ears of this world - that's the Radiohead way.
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More about: Radiohead