The NME, released this week, boasts three pages of features on Radiohead. Most of the information within has been circulating for some time, but the article includes the following sound-bites from Colin and Jonny:
Colin – “These shows have been great. I’ve noticed lots of new fans in the audience, and it’s good to see. I think the whole band are keen to get more new songs out there. Of the UK shows, for me the second night in Blackpool was the best, that one in particular was amazing.”
Jonny – “It’s been really good playing some of the songs off ‘The Bends’, but i feel i’ve played those enough now. I wouldn’t mind if i didn’t play ‘Paranoid Android’ for a while now – maybe save that for the V Festival.”
Colin – “We’re talking about doing some covers too.”
There is also a more extensive interview with Jonny, painfully transcribed below:
NME: “How are the shows going?”
Jonny: “I’m really enjoying it. Playing live again is something I’ve been thinking about for a year and three quarters. I love it.”
NME: “Which shows have been the highlight?”
Jonny: “The second night in Blackpool has been the best and the second Copenhagen show. I’ve no idea why. Quite often we leave the stage and one of the band thinks it’s the best we’ve played, and another hated it.”
NME: “Which songs are going down best?”
Jonny: “The rehearsed ones! Like ‘Bodysnatchers’ and ‘Nude’. The others, we’re still changing arrangements and moving them around.”
NME: “How do you have the time to work on the songs?”
Jonny: “We have very long soundchecks which we use as rehearsals and we try different arrangements. It’s great ‘cos it keeps us excited.”
NME: “Are there any more new songs that you’ve yet to play?”
Jonny: “We’ve done about half of the new songs, so there’s lots more to come. We’re going to tour in America and that’s when we’re going to try out more of the new songs. At the minute we feel like we’re warming up and remembering how to play again.”
NME: “Have you been nervous about being back on the road?”
Jonny: “It’s only taken a short time, already i’m moaning about the fact we’re not doing enough new songs. We’re all feeling like that, so we’re about ready to start ratcheting up and changing the ratio between old and new songs.”
NME: “How do you pick the new songs?”
Jonny: “There’s a point when the new songs begin to sound a bit tired, like they’ve reached their best, so we give them a break. But then there’s really old songs that we bring back and they sound fresh again.”
NME: “Will you do a greatest hits set at V?”
Jonny: “We’ll do the setlist a couple of hours before we play! Not everyone will be singing every word like they are on this tour, so we’ll see which old songs are sounding good on the US tour, and which ones are tired. But we’ve no idea which ones.”
NME: “What’s the plan for going back into the studio?”
Jonny: “We’re going to go back as soon as we get time. Our big headache is always that there’s these amazing songs that Thom’s written that we have to do well enough. Our morale is always at its highest when we feel we’re putting those songs across really well.”
NME: “‘Nude’ has taken 10 years. How did you finally get it right?”
Jonny: “We realised how much of our early songs were quite sparse and we were happy just to let it be bass and drums. So we went back to the beginning of the song. It took us a while, but that’s the pressure we’re under. But it’s a nice kind of pressure.”
NME: “The new songs see a return to guitar-driven rock. Is that a conscious decision?”
Jonny: “I’ve been playing guitars an awful lot. It’s the easiest thing to play when at home. You don’t have the plug it in and it’s always there. I’m actually playing more guitar than i ever have.”
(thanks to Patrick)
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Colin and Jonny talk about the tour
