Present Tense

Present Tense is an anthology to savour . . . giving you as sharp a portrait of this unknowable band as you could hope for . . . Radiohead fans will love itClassic Rock

A Rocks Backpages anthology of Radiohead, the most radical and fascinating rock band in modern music history, edited and introduced by Barney Hoskyns.

For over 25 years, Radiohead have been the most radical and fascinating rock band in the world. Fearless in their desire to change and shape-shift, the Oxfordshire quintet has - through the nine studio albums from 1993s Pablo Honey to 2016s A Moon-Shaped Pool - consistently stretched the boundaries of what rock means and does. Anchored in Thom Yorkes soaring voice and elliptical lyrics, and in the compositional genius of guitarist/keyboardist Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead continue to astonish as they approach their fourth decade.

Present Tense collects the best writing on this most literate of pop groups, from the earliest local reports about On A Friday - Radioheads first moniker - through the inspired commentary of Mark Greif and Simon Reynolds to the trenchant profiles of Will Self, John Harris and others. Its an anthology that goes a long way towards explaining what Rocks Backpages editor Barney Hoskyns describes as the bands seriousness, emotional grandeur and willingness to stare humanitys dystopian hi-tech future in the face.