When Radiohead announced their first live dates in over seven years—residencies across five European cities this winter—the excitement among fans was immediate. But so was the backlash. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement and its affiliate Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) quickly renewed calls for a boycott, saying the band’s perceived silence on the Israel-Gaza conflict and guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s collaboration with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa warranted accountability.
“Even as Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza reaches its latest, most brutal and depraved phase … Radiohead continues with its complicit silence, while one member repeatedly crosses our picket line,” the Instagram post read.
In early September 2025, the band confirmed a run of winter residencies: Madrid (Nov 4-5,7-8), Bologna (Nov 14-15,17-18), London O2 (Nov 21-22,24-25), Copenhagen (Dec 1-2,4-5) and Berlin (Dec 8-9,11-12). The tour marked Radiohead’s major return to live performance after their 2018 shows.
But from the moment the tour was announced, opposition arose. PACBI issued a call for fans and venues to boycott the shows until the band “convincingly distances itself, at a minimum, from Jonny Greenwood’s crossing of our peaceful picket line during Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”
Central to the criticism is Greenwood’s connection with Dudu Tassa, together responsible for the 2023 album Jarak Qaribak. They performed in Israel during the war in Gaza, and two UK shows scheduled for June 2025 were cancelled citing “credible threats”. PACBI described those gigs as “whitewashing” the conflict.
Frontman Thom Yorke has also faced pressure. During his 2024 solo tour he engaged with a heckler shouting about Gaza, telling them: “Hop up on stage and say what you wanna say … You want to piss on everybody’s night?” He later posted on social media: “That silence … has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill in the blanks, and I regret giving them this chance.”
The band issued limited comment: their ticket-registration system prioritised local residents, a £1-per-UK-ticket charity levy was introduced, and they emphasised they would “not censor ourselves or any artist”. However, they did not publicly respond to the boycott call.
“Forcing musicians not to perform … is self-evidently a method of censorship and silencing,” Greenwood and Tassa said in their statement.
The row places Radiohead in a challenging position between art and activism. For a band long lauded for their principled stance, the current chapter raises difficult questions about where cultural duty ends and individual freedom begins.
Fans registering for tickets were reminded of the three steps: pre-register online, allocate based on geography, and await sale notification. Tickets are expected to go very quickly.
As tour-week approaches, the boycott campaign remains active. For venues, promoters and fans alike, the question lingers: can a major act step back into touring without being drawn into the pressure-point of global conflicts?
