Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood aren’t the only members of Radiohead who have been spreading their wings of late. Whilst the duo have been touring and recording with their trio The Smile, bassist (and Jonny’s older brother) Colin has been moonlighting with another set of cherished alt-rockers, becoming a member of Nick Cave’s backing band the Bad Seeds. He recently completed a 33-date run in arenas with the band and also played on this year’s Wild God record. A week after the tour was finished, he told this writer about what a fantastic experience it had been.
“It was really great because I don’t feel stressed playing those rooms because I’m used to it with Radiohead,” Greenwood explained, “and also because the atmosphere on tour was so supportive and collegiate and kind and funny and just the best time with the loveliest people. I’m lucky where I am in my life with music where I can feel when I’m on stage that it’s like a sort of home from home. I am really grateful for that experience.”
As has sometimes happened with Radiohead, who on occasion have roped in Portishead drummer Clive Deamer to play alongside their own sticksman Phil Selway, Greenwood found himself playing between two drummers. “I got to stand between two incredible drummers, Jim Sclavunos and Larry Mullins, who are both fabulous and very, very loud but great,” he said. “They gave me lots of advice and support and wisdom about how to conduct myself when I was working with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds.”
That advice was mainly about tempos (“Steady as she goes,” Greenwood states) and not to play too fast on some of the Bad Seeds’ older material, with Greenwood saying he’d also have to be aware of a lurching Cave now and then. “Sometimes Nick would run over to where Larry’s playing the drums and go, ‘Arghhh!’,” he laughed. “I’d have to give him some space so he can jump up onto the riser and commune with the drums. That was fun. It’s a different experience because Nick has this sort of spiritual fervour with his audience, really special, like a furious euphoria or something, the way he takes the audience with him through the songs. I’ve just had an incredible experience, I had a wonderful time.”
With the tour completed and The Smile seemingly on hold for the time being, there’s a possibility that Radiohead might spring back into action in 2025. But Greenwood says it’s not totally up to him. “I really would love to play some shows at some point but I have to wait for everybody to be free to do them,” he said, diplomatically.
Listen to the recent Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds album Wild God in full below:
