Thom Yorke names Radiohead's second album Belisha Beacon

Thom Yorke says Radiohead's second album will be called Belisha Beacon in an interview for the tour-guide edition of Pop Is Dead, the band's official fanzine. On what the songs are about, he offers one line.

It's about love out of concrete.

Thom Yorke¹

Beyond that the band would not be drawn: they will see what happens in the studio. Val Savage did the interview in a laundry storeroom not much bigger than a toilet cubicle, perched on a pile of laundry bags, and when her tape recorder failed, Yorke took the notes for her.

The new songs had their first outing in February, when Radiohead played a private show at a social club in Reading as Faithless And The Wonderboys, for their tour manager's birthday. Two days later they were in a London studio. They had eight weeks there before the European dates, which open in Seville on 7 May, and the rest of July is set aside to finish recording and mixing.

The issue also settles what happened to “Stop Whispering”. It was only ever a promo, sent out to keep the band's profile up after “Creep”, but Radio One playlisted it. A January release would have meant interviews and appearances, and after a year of touring the band could not have done them.

Yorke says Glastonbury, on 26 June, is confirmed, which will make it the band's first British festival, and since none of them has been to one as a punter, they plan to stay all three days.

The tour diary as the fanzine prints it