Radiohead demo cassette from the band's school days up for auction

Culture
18 Jan 21

The cassette, which was recorded when the group was called On A Friday, features six tracks - three of which have not been heard before.

A Radiohead demo tape featuring unheard tracks from the band is set to be sold at the upcoming online Punk and Indie Auction.

The cassette was recorded when the group was previously known as On A Friday, and includes handwritten notes and a label design by frontman Thom Yorke.

They met at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire in the 1980s, with their name coming from the day of the week when they rehearsed.

The seller of the cassette, who wants to remain anonymous, apparently knew the band in the early 1990s and was given the tape by a member of the British group.

It is thought the tracks were recorded after the band left school but before they signed to EMI Records and changed their name to Radiohead in 1991.

They later became known for tracks such as 'Paranoid Android', 'Creep' and 'Karma Police'.

With three previously unheard tracks on the cassette, the demo is expected to fetch £2,000 at the auction.

The unheard tracks are titled ‘Promise Me’, ‘Boy In A Box’ and ‘These Chains’, and are an early sign of the five-piece's unbridled talent.

Auctioneer Paul Fairweather told PA:

“The tracks are raw but certainly suggest something of the fantastic potential that the band would realise in a few years’ time.”

The online Punk and Indie Auction which will be held by Omega Auctions on January 26.

The earliest demo recording of an early Radiohead was discovered in 1986, before Jonny Greenwood joined his older brother Colin in the band.

The tape, which is thought to be the “only copy in existence”, was sold by Omega Auctions for £2,000 to a US collector eight years ago.