Ed O’Brien recently returned to social media with a New Year’s post on Instagram. In this post, he apologized for his silence regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, which started after the Hamas attack at an Israeli music festival in October.
Calling for a ceasefire between the two parties, the guitarist wrote:
“Happy New Year to each and every one of you. Wishing you and your loved ones happiness, joy, and laughter, and a bright 2024… An apology, too… It’s been a while since I posted. Like so many of you, I have found the events of October 7 and what has followed too awful for words. Anything that I have tried to write feels so utterly inadequate… Ceasefire now. Return the hostages.”
The Israel-Palestine issue has been a sensitive topic for Radiohead. The band faced criticism in 2017 for performing in Israel despite calls from Palestinian supporters and some musicians to cancel their show. This led to protests at their concerts, including major festivals like Glastonbury and TRNSMT.
He Also Revealed Working On New Projects
Since Radiohead abandoned the idea of a new tour in 2021, O’Brien hasn’t been much in the public eye. In his post, he thanked his fans for their support and mentioned the need for a break before working on new projects:
“I also just want to say how thankful I am for this little community that we have on here… That felt so affirming when we were doing our in-isolation nights… Thank you, and big love to all of you. I will get back to this… It’s just sometimes you need a break from all this stuff, and it needs to come from the right place.”
The guitarist also announced an upcoming album:
“I’m deep into my next record and deep in the process. I will share some more soon… From music to influences to gear… All of it. It’s been and continues to be a journey. Sending love and warmth from me and Ziggy.”
It’s The Artist’s First Work In Several Years
Ed O’Brien’s last solo release came out in April 2020 under his moniker EOB. The guitarist worked on some songs in the ‘Earth’ album between recording and touring with Radiohead. Talking about it in a chat with NME, he said:
“A theme on the record is that in spite of the darkness and challenging times that we live in, humanity can do amazing things when they put their mind to it. Look at what’s happened in the last couple of weeks: a new hospital has been opened up within six days, people have been looking out for the vulnerable and standing on their doorsteps en masse to clap and appreciate our NHS workers.”
You can see his Instagram post here.
