Ed O’Brien has revealed that he reached the point where he “wasn’t enjoying” being in Radiohead any more, and was “done” with the band.
The iconic British band returned to the stage last year for what marked their first live dates in seven years – kicking off across Europe at the end of 2025, and including a four-night residency at The O2 in London.
However, in a new interview with Rolling Stone, guitarist Ed O’Brien revealed that he had initially come to terms with the band coming to an end after the 2018 tour, and he had reached a point where he felt like he had offered everything he could to the group.
Looking back at the time after they finished their tour seven years ago and went on hiatus, O’Brien said: “I was done with Radiohead. It had got to a place where I just wasn’t enjoying it. I just didn’t resonate with it anymore, and I wanted to do my own thing… I think we’d run out of road. We’d run out of inspiration.”
Making a nod to the reported difficulties the band faced when recording their 2016 album ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’, the guitarist shared that his bandmates were well aware of his reluctance to commit to being on the road for a long period of time.
“The others said they wanted to tour. I didn’t really want to tour, and they knew that. But I did it, and I’m glad I did. I saw it through to the end,” he said, adding that it felt like the end of the band once the tour was done.
“It was kind of scary at first. I really thought that was it on Radiohead,” he explained. “Actually, I sort of got off on that. I was just like, ‘I’m done with it. I want another life.’”
In 2020, O’Brien went on to release a solo album called ‘Earth’ under the moniker EOB, which saw him lean away from the melancholy of much of Radiohead’s discography, and explore new avenues of rave, electronica, scuzzy guitars and tender folk.
He told NME that the record was one that carried a message of hope, and a testament that “in spite of the darkness and challenging times that we live in, humanity can do amazing things when they put their mind to it.” He also added that he felt like the solo project was something he “had to do”, saying: “If I don’t do this, a part of me will die.”
The record was given a four-star review from NME, which described it as seeing the songwriter’s “personality shine through”, and securing his position as “Radiohead’s secret weapon”.
As aforementioned, Radiohead ended their seven-year hiatus with a run of UK and European shows last year, and the first of their four London shows was given a glowing five-star review from NME, praised as having “a visceral energy, a tasteful spectacle, all delivered with a generosity of spirit”.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about returning to the stage after being ready to call it quits with the band, O’Brien said: “That tour was very, very emotional, very profound. We all felt that. We’d look at one another on that stage, like, ‘This is amazing.’ I feel like I’m the luckiest person on the planet, and I’m not just saying that.”
He also opened up about plans for more live shows on the way – sharing that the band are wanting to play “20 shows each year” on a different continent from 2027.
“It’s definitely happening… What we’re going to do is, every year we’re going to do a different continent, and we’re going to do 20 shows each year. No more, no less,” the musician continued.
He then said Radiohead would be out of action in 2026, though they are looking to perform again together in 2027. “We won’t do anything this year, but we’ll do something next year,” O’Brien added.
As well as new Radiohead plans, O’Brien has also announced a new solo album, ‘Blue Morpho’, and recently shared its title track. The seven-song project will mark the musician’s second solo record, but the first under his own name. It is set to arrive on May 22 via his new label home, Transgressive. Pre-order/pre-save here.
