Radiohead's "pay-what-you-want" option for seventh studio album In Rainbows was seen as a radical move. However, that business model should not overshadow the ingeniousness of announcing the follow-up to 2003's Hail To the Thief just 10 days before its October 2007 online release, immediately stoking fan anticipation for the 10-song release. Four years later, Radiohead gave fans even less notice: The King of Limbs was announced just five days before its February 2011 release, and was packaged with a special "newspaper" edition.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for CoachellaBritish band Radiohead has emerged as a sudden favorite among U.K. bookmakers to be named the performers of the theme for Spectre, the latest James Bond.
One bookie revealed that it had suspended betting after an anonymous customer asked to put a £15,000 ($23,000) wager on the band.
The news just came a day after Ellie Goulding became the frontrunner after posting an Instagram photo of her leaving Abbey Road studios — where Adele recorded the title track for Skyfall — with the words “that’s a wrap.” The singer had previously been among the bookies’ favorites, alongside Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran. Smith himself tipped Goulding earlier in the month.
“The first gamble of the day was Ellie Goulding and punters were backing her as if she already had the gig, but just as we were thinking of pulling the plug we had a load of bets for Radiohead including one customer who asked to place a £15,000 bet on the band at 10/1,” said a spokesperson for the William Hill bookmakers on Wednesday.
“There seem to be all kinds of rumors and the plot has had more twists and turns than a classic Bond tale, but surely nobody risks £15,000 on a hunch.”
Director Sam Mendes last week said that the song had already been recorded and that there wasn’t long to wait before the big reveal. Both he and Daniel Craig are known to be Radiohead fans, with Craig himself having spoken to lead singer Thom Yorke in 2013 for an article in Interview magazine.
