Before Radiohead took the rock world by storm, its members Thom Yorke, Jonny and Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien and Philip Selway met as students at the prestigious Abingdon School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England. The quintet would eventually form a band called On a Friday, which was named after the days they would rehearse in the school’s music room.
An unreleased demo from the band has now resurfaced, and is being auctioned off by Omega Auctions, where it is expected to go for £2,000, according to the BBC. This record will contain six songs, three of which have never been heard before: “Promise Me,” “Boy In A Box” and “These Chains.” This demo will be sold online via the Punk and Indie Auction on January 26.
“The tracks are raw but certainly suggest something of the fantastic potential that the band would realise in a few years’ time,” auctioneer Paul Fairweather explained.
Originally founded in 1985, On a Friday would continue under that name for several years until signing with EMI in 1991. Their name Radiohead was taken from the song “Radio Head” from the Talking Heads’ 1986 studio album True Stories.
According to the BBC, these songs may have been recorded after the band left the school for university, but prior to their signing to EMI. This demo was given to a friend of the band during the 1990s, however the seller has chosen to remain anonymous. The demo also features handwritten notes and art written by Yorke, who fronts Radiohead.
Check out some classic photos of Radiohead here.
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
Leave a Comment