An Inspirational Band

A group who I deem to be inspirational for both their musical style, personal ethics and music video performances / concepts is Radio Head. They  are an English rock band Oxfordshire who were formed in 1985. Consisting of Thom Yorke  who sings lead vocals + guitar +piano, Jonny Greenwood who plays lead guitar +keyboards + other instrumentals, Colin Greenwood who plays the bass, Phil Selway who plays the drums and percussion and finally Ed O'Brien who plays guitar and also sings backing vocals.I feel that this group - through their musical distribution, their lyrics and attitude (towards the conglomerate corporations who control the success and image of the musical industry) help to enrich the world of music. 

 They  formed the group while attending Abingdon School which is an independent boys school, meaning they met as youths & grouped together due to chemistry, commitment & friendship not through an industry commercial set up (like many groups of today). When they started work on their 2nd album they felt that the recording proximities and constraints were unnatural and sought change by touring the far east & mexico in order to reduce pressure - *something I feel displays the essence of their passion not only to for fill their work to the best of their ability but also to stay connected as a group & not allow the team to split up (which at one point nearly happened)*. Following this change in scenery they found a much greater confidence from live performances. Yorke (the lead singer) said after this that he felt extremely confronted by the fame he had achieved - "right at the sharp end of the sexy, sassy, MTV eye-candy lifestyle" he felt he was helping to sell to the world, something which I feel  shows their devotion to music & not to fame & money. At one stage in their career they scrapped any form of  traditional music studio and settled in a 15th-century mansion called  St. Catherine's Court which is near Bath (UK). Their recording sessions there were said to be very informal & relaxed,with the band playing at all  hours of the day and recording songs in different rooms, as well as listening to other artists for inspiration, for instance : The Beatles. Additionally their "Against Demons" world tour was actually filmed by Grant Gee (who was the director of the video of their hit song "No Surprises") the documentary  film expresses the band's disaffection with the music industry and press. 

Their lyrics always connote a strong sense of depth, emotion and meaning something which they aimed to achieve on their second album. Another thing which is present throughout most of their career is the committed delectation and expansion of their fan base. When they first promoted through alternative radio stations (not mainstream commercial ones) they received hard-edged single's sales which showed for the first time that they have found a loyal fan who had stretched beyond their first hit & followed them into their future successes. At one stage Yorke said his lyrics had been affected by news reports of war in 2001-2 + "the feeling that we are entering an age of intolerance and fear where the power to express ourselves in a democracy and have our voices heard is being denied us" (but it wasn't a protest or political record - easing going / passive group) . They have often written of enviromental troubles and questioned, (but not challenged) society. 

Yorke - "amazed it got the reaction it did. None of us fucking knew any more whether it was good or bad. What really blew my head off was the fact that people got all the things, all the textures and the sounds and the atmospheres we were trying to create."

They have done a lot of charity singles over their time, further developing their need for self fulfilment through entertaining or helping others rather than simply the will to push themselves up the commercial / finical ladder.  Their track "Lucky" was released as a single to promote the War Child charity's The Help Album. They also recorded a piano-based song, "I Want None of This", for the War Child charity album Help: A Day in the Life. This album was sold online, with "I Want None of This" being the most downloaded track. Their track "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)", was recorded as a tribute to Harry Patch, the last surviving British soldier to have fought during ww1 (he had recently died). The song was sold for £1 & all of the proceeds where donated to the British Legion (is the UK's leading charity for providing financial, social & emotional support to those who have served or who are currently serving in the BFA & their dependents) The band  have also played gigs to benefit the charity Oxfam, and have auctioned concert tickets (to the highest bidder) to allow their  show at the Henry Fonda Theatre in LA to consequently raise over half a million dollars for the NGO's work in Haiti when it was hit by a devastating earthquake. Furthermore on their final concert of their North American tour their was an accident where the roof of the venue's temporary stage actually collapsed and  killed their drum technician (Scott Johnson) and also injured x3 other members of their touring technical crew. As a result, (once rescheduled) they paid tribute to Scott Johnson + their stage crew at their next concert.

They have a close relationship withs fans and event when they didn't release any single from their album 'Kid A' they produced  short videos set to portions of tracks which were played on music channels and released freely on the internet. Their album In Rainbows, was released through the band's own website (in 2007) as a digital download, where their fans had the decision to choose to make whatever payment that they deemed appropriate including the option to pay nothing at all.( though a whopping 2 million downloads were reportedly sold by the day of release!) Their bass player Colin Greenwood said the Internet allowed them release their work as a way of avoiding the "regulated playlists" and "straitened formats" of radio and TV, ensuring fans around the world could all experience the music at the same time, and preventing leaks in advance of a physical release."  Fans have equally returned their commitment and passion. A group of fans edited together a digital video which they took created from a series of multi-camera shots of one of their concerts, which was then made available through YouTube (which correspondingly led to another downloading link campaign for Oxfam). In 2010, another group of fans made a not-for-profit video of their 2009  concert in Prague and then distributed it online for free, with a soundboard audio provided by the band. Additionally  mainstream media attributed the band's openness to fans and their positivity toward non-commercial forms of Internet distribution.

Their iconic music video "No Surprises" I feel personally optimises their style & identity.  The video  (which only features Yorke) consists merely of Yorke's head (an extreme close up) inside of a domed helmet, the helmet continually fills & empties itself with water whilst Yorke is still trapped inside & the lyrics are shown  scrolling upwards but also mirrored & reflected off of the dome. To me the video expresses a sense of claustrophobia, the idea that in their type of work their are never alone, always watched, always judged, always criticised & censored. The continuation of his battle with the water & his passion to still sing the song whilst it has entirely consumed his connotes the sense that he will battle with restriction - no matter the cost. In all the video connotes the sense of the internal freedom the band has, inside their bubble of virtue, to breath cleaner air, whilst trapped in the commercial censor of society (the whole image makes one think of a microscope, or camera lenses, reinforcing the notion of looking & the way they are always being watched - as if in an experiment).