Thom Yorke records Radiohead's next album on the tour bus

In the back of one of Radiohead's tour buses is a portable studio, and Thom Yorke has been using it to put down rhythm tracks and guide vocals for a new album. Ted Kessler found it while following the band for NME, whose 13 December issue carries his feature. Nigel Godrich has come out for a few dates, and there is talk of putting speakers in the bunks and eventually recording guitars there too.

Colin Greenwood says it is Munich three years ago all over again, when Yorke worked on “Street Spirit” on a four-track in the back of a dingy old bus. They have three buses and digital equipment now.

Thom is still basically sitting in the back of the bus recording.

Colin Greenwood¹

Two new songs turned up at the soundcheck at Huxleys in Berlin on 3 November. One was an upbeat tune close to rockabilly, on a riff with a lot of the Rolling Stones in it, which Yorke only half sang. The other was fragile, and Yorke introduced it as “Glass House”, not quite sure that was its name. Five days earlier, near Modena, he had played the band an unfinished song he called “Life In A Glass House”).

Yorke would not talk to Kessler. NME had run a news story saying he threw a fit and stormed off stage; he says he was ill and left because he could not sing. The band invited the paper on tour anyway. Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway declined as well, Jonny changing his mind about an agreed interview while Kessler was on the train to Birmingham. Grant Gee, who is making a documentary about the life of OK Computer, filmed even the interviews that did happen, with Colin and Ed O'Brien. Godrich talked about Jonny.

The way that Hendrix changed the way that people looked at guitars, likewise Jonny does things that people will imitate in ten years.

Nigel Godrich¹

O'Brien expects the next record to be more varied, some of it down the loop-built route of “Airbag”, some played by the five of them close-miked. They work best against the clock, he says, and “Lucky”, “Talk Show Host” and “Bishop's Robes” were done in three days in 1995. They will probably tour the next album, and might skip touring the one after and make an album a year instead.

We don't want to arrive at a Radiohead sound. We're going to keep surprising you.

Ed O'Brien¹

He won't call OK Computer the album of the year, and names Supergrass, Blur and Portishead. But after a few weeks off following Brixton Academy in September he played it fresh, and rang Yorke to tell him it was great.

The feature runs from Barcelona in May, where the band had just played much of OK Computer live for the first time at the Zeleste. At their aftershow party there Jonny wandered round shaking hands, said he was off to the toilet and walked straight out of the exit. Berlin in November was edgier. Yorke introduced “Creep” as karaoke for Japanese businessmen. After the show he and Jonny chose an overnight coach to Stockholm while the others were to fly to an awards event in London.

On 19 November about 12,000 people were at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, and most of the band, remembering Barcelona, skipped the aftershow. Colin admits they face rooms that size with as much fear and self-doubt as anyone. Getting “Exit Music” across to that many people without it turning into a lighter-waving moment would be enough for him.

Dates