Thom Yorke of Radiohead will no longer perform in Israel, distancing himself from the government amid strife.
Before the recent Israeli-Hamas ceasefire, Yorke claimed he would “absolutely not” perform there. “I wouldn’t want to be 5,000 miles anywhere near the Netanyahu regime,” he remarked. Yorke stated that Radiohead lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood “has roots there.”
The husband of Israeli artist Sharona Katan, Greenwood, had a different view. “I politely disagree with Thom,” he remarked. Boycotts can convince governments that ‘Everyone hates us — we should do anything we want.’ That’s much riskier,” Greenwood laments, “dragging the band into this mess,” but he continues to work with Arab and Jewish musicians, stating, “I can’t apologise for that.”
In 2017, Radiohead was criticised for performing in Tel Aviv during their A Moon Shaped Pool international tour amid BDS appeals to cancel. In protest of Israel’s West Bank and East Jerusalem policies, the organisation advised the band to avoid performing there.
Yorke left a solo show in Melbourne, Australia, last year when a pro-Palestinian protester heckled him.
Radiohead will play Europe in November for the first time in seven years. When asked about protests, Yorke said, “Are you f***ing kidding? We don’t matter—they want something big on Instagram.”
Yorke also opposed Israel’s Eurovision participation, saying, “I don’t think Eurovision should do Eurovision, but neither should Israel. What do I know?”
Israel has participated in Eurovision since 1973, but the Gaza war has increased calls for its expulsion.
