The Smile cancel European tour due to serious Jonny Greenwood illness

(Image credit: Alex Lake)

The Smile have announced the cancellation of their entire run of European summer shows due to guitarist Jonny Greenwood becoming seriously ill. The band, who feature Radiohead’s Greenwood and Thom Yorke alongside drummer Tom Skinner, had been due to play nine shows in August.

In a statement, the band said: "A few days ago, Jonny became seriously ill from an infection that needed emergency hospital treatment, some of it in intensive care. Mercifully he is now out of danger and will soon return home.

"We have been instructed by the medical team in charge of Jonny’s care to cancel all engagements until he has had time to make a full recovery. To that end, The Smile tour of Europe in August is cancelled.

"Refunds for headline shows will be available from your ticket provider and the list of cancelled dates is on the W.A.S.T.E. schedule here.

"We all wish Jonny a speedy recovery."

Earlier this year, The Smile released their second record Wall Of Eyes, the follow-up to the trio’s 2022 debut A Light For Attracting Attention. They launched the new record with a dazzling show at the 6 Music Festival assisted by the London Contemporary Orchestra, a show they followed with a short UK and European tour.

Following the cancellation of the August dates, they currently have no further shows pencilled in, however Yorke will embark on a solo tour in October and November, visiting New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Japan. The announcement around those dates stated they will see the Radiohead frontman play “versions of songs from my recent and not-so-recent past”.

Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, Champions Journal, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleague Ted Kessler. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he's interviewed some of the world's biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Radiohead, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more.