Radiohead creep fans out by erasing their online presence and sending mysterious promo leaflets
Radiohead have all but disappeared from the Internet, deleting all content from their website and removing every single post from their Twitter and Facebook pages – leading fans to speculate that the band is preparing to release their as-yet untitled ninth album.
Radiohead.com currently leads to a blank page, as does the UK version of the site. Meanwhile 12 million fans currently 'like' the rockers' barren Facebook page, and the band's Twitter feed, which has been active for six years now lies empty with the exception of a message saying @Radiohead hasn't tweeted yet.
Some fans awaiting the release of hotly-anticipated new album, which was rumoured to be released in June, have received mysterious direct mail from the group that reads: 'Sing a song of sixpence that goes burn the witch. We know where you live,' alongside the band's logo.
Umm, I just got this in the post from Radiohead. Is the new album called Burn The Witch? pic.twitter.com/zv5QKnDeGh
— Niall Doherty (@NiallMDoherty) April 30, 2016
The alternative outfit has form for distributing its records in unusual ways. In 2011 its most recent title 'The King of Limbs' was given away with free Radiohead-themed newspapers, while four years earlier with 'In Rainbows', the band invited fans to download the album online at any cost, telling them to pay whichever price they thought fit in order to download the tracks. Meanwhile a Thom Yorke solo album was made available through Bittorrent. Frontman Thom Yorke also appears to have deleted his previous Twitter posts.
The PR stunt has left some fans suggesting some weird and wonderful ways Radiohead's latest album could be distributed.
Radiohead's latest album to be released exclusively on the feeling of existential dread that resides within us all. — Colin Jones (@colinjones) 1 May 2016
Radiohead is releasing their new album exclusively through a website hosted by GeoCities.
— Melissa Stetten (@MelissaStetten) 2 May 2016
I heard the new #Radiohead album will be performed only once in front of a group of town elders, who will then have to recreate it orally. — Jason Martinez (@Jason4breakfast) 1 May 2016
what if the new episode of game of thrones is just the new radiohead album?
— HannahSilkChampagne (@hsilkchampagne) 1 May 2016