A Job That Slowly Kills You: Inside Radiohead’s Oxford

Most know Oxford for its dreaming spires, college quads, and historic watering holes. But the city is also home to one of the most critically acclaimed bands in rock history. On this walking tour, you’ll follow Radiohead’s journey from their schooldays through to global stardom, visiting the venues, pubs, and hidden corners that shaped their sound and story.

This tour starts at Oxford’s O2 Academy, one of the largest venues in the city and the spot where Radiohead filmed their iconic Creep music video. You’ll weave through the trendy and bohemian Cowley Road and into the city’s historic city centre, hearing about the complex relationship between Oxford’s most famous band and its world-famous University as you walk.

You’ll visit venues like the New Theatre Oxford and the Old Fire Station, where Radiohead cut their teeth playing gigs in their early years. I’ll also tell you how Oxford inspired many of Radiohead’s most famous songs, such as A Punchup at a Wedding and Subterranean Homesick Alien. The tour finishes at The Jericho Tavern, a legendary watering hole where Radiohead played their first ever gig and signed their first ever record contract.

On this 60-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Discover the location of the former Beat Café that inspired the lyrics to Creep and hear the real story behind the song’s creation
• See Thom Yorke’s former home on St. John Street that inspired his solo track Analyse
• Visit venues where the band performed in their early days, from school gigs to their triumphant hometown shows
• Walk the same streets where Thom and Jonny once busked playing R.E.M. covers
• Understand how the band’s uneasy relationship with Oxford University shaped their worldview
• Explore the spot where Radiohead were discovered by EMI A&R executive Keith Wozencroft
• Stand where Radiohead signed their six-album deal that launched their remarkable career

Whether you’re a hardcore fan or just curious about an untold chapter of the city’s history, this tour offers a unique perspective on how Oxford’s environment shaped one of the most innovative bands of all time.

This tour contains infrequent bad language.