Ed O'Brien on XFM

Ed O'Brien phones Mary Anne Hobbs at XFM on the night she plays “The Daily Mail”, recorded for From the Basement. The band feel vital, he says; they have been rehearsing four or five new songs this week to take on tour, and the UK dates come in the autumn of next year. Hobbs tells him Thom Yorke's mix for her programme is nearing 50,000 plays, and O'Brien reckons Yorke will be well chuffed. “Staircase” came out of the King of Limbs jams and sat in the computer as a demo until two drummers brought it to life.

“The Daily Mail” has been around for six or seven years, since about 2005, with the same lyrics, but “they didn't quite ring like they do now”. What it needed was huge bursts of energy, focused ones, and after so much beat-driven work it comes as a big release.