Radiohead‘s triumphant return to the global stage has hit an unexpected medical snag. The Oxford art-rock legends announced on Monday morning that they have been forced to postpone the first two nights of their scheduled residency in Copenhagen, Denmark, due to the sudden illness of frontman Thom Yorke.
The band, currently in the midst of their first major tour in nearly eight years, was set to perform at the Royal Arena yesterday (December 1) and today (December 2). Those performances have now been pushed to the end of the tour leg, with the new dates confirmed for December 15 and December 16.
According to the group, Yorke is suffering from an “extreme throat infection” that has rendered him unable to perform vocally. The band issued a full statement to their social media channels expressing their regret over the last-minute change.
Radiohead’s full statement from yesterday reads:
“Radiohead are gutted to have to announce the postponement of the first two Copenhagen dates this week – tonight, Dec 1st and tomorrow, Dec 2nd. The shows have been rescheduled for Dec 15th and 16th respectively. Tickets for the shows will be automatically transferred to the new corresponding date. If you require a refund, please contact your point of purchase.
“We are devastated to have to postpone these two shows at such short notice but Thom has been diagnosed with an extreme throat infection which has made it impossible for him to sing. Treatment is underway and we’re hopeful Thom will recover in time to play the final two Copenhagen shows on Dec 4th and 5th, and all four Berlin shows, starting on Dec 8th. We have been so blown away by the audience reactions on these dates and are loving being back on stage again; needless to say, we feel terrible that we have been forced to postpone these shows.”
The health setback comes immediately following a historic high point for the group. Just last week, Radiohead completed a four-night residency at The O2 in London, where they set a new all-time attendance record for the venue. Performing “in the round,” the band drew 22,355 fans on their final night, eclipsing the previous record held by heavy metal icons Metallica since 2017.
As it stands, the remaining two shows of the Copenhagen run—scheduled for Thursday, December 4, and Friday, December 5—are still set to go ahead, pending Yorke‘s recovery. Following the rescheduled Denmark dates, the tour is slated to move to Berlin for a residency starting December 8.
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