Radiohead return to the stage with packed London concert at the O2 Arena

Highlights:

• Fans waited years for this Radiohead London concert
• Thom Yorke joked, smiled, even danced, rare to see
• No new album, no announcement, just the music
• O2 Arena crowd looked stunned and grateful

The Radiohead London concert at the O2 Arena finally happened on Friday night. The last time the band played a UK show feels distant now, and the gap had grown in the build-up. People started arriving hours before doors opened. Some carried old tour merchandise, others looked like they had grown up and moved on with life, but still came back for this.

British band Radiohead performs during a summer 2018 North American tour in support of the band's latest album A Moon Shaped Pool, at the United Center on July 6, 2018 in Chicago Getty Images

Why the Radiohead London concert mattered

They opened with Planet Telex and moved straight into 2+2=5. The shift sent the crowd soaring. Yorke did not say much. A quiet “cheers” here and there. It suited the tone. The show felt like the music was the point, not the spectacle. Some songs sounded almost untouched from their record versions. Others felt looser.

The setlist pulled from every era

Fans got the big ones: No Surprises, Fake Plastic Trees, Everything in Its Right Place, Karma Police. When Weird Fishes/Arpeggi started, the room shifted. People stopped filming and actually listened. There were also tracks that have not been fixtures in recent sets. That kept things unpredictable.

What comes after this Radiohead London concert?

No announcement. No hint of new music. Nothing about future dates. They finished with Karma Police, let the crowd sing the last lines, and walked off. Fans leaving the arena looked satisfied, not thrilled in a flashy way, but quietly relieved that the band were still here and still playing with care. One person walking to the tube said, “Worth the wait. Even if it goes nowhere.”