Radiohead Releases New Song In Tribute to WWI Veteran

Radiohead has released a new song today paying tribute to the last known British World War I veteran. The track, titled "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" is available for download on the band's Waste music store.

Thom Yorke was inspired to write the song from an interview with Patch back in 2005 for BBC Radio 4. "The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me. It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death," writes Yorke on Dead Air Space. "It was done live in an abbey. The strings were arranged by Jonny [Greenwood]. I very much hope the song does justice to his memory as the last survivor."

Fans can download the song for $1.70, and proceeds will be donated to the Royal British Legion. Patch passed away on July 25 at the age of 111.

Radiohead has been busy this summer: NME.com reported that the band had begun recording their follow-up to 2007's In Rainbows back in May; Yorke is supplying a song for the upcoming New Moon soundtrack; and Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway contributed to the Neil Finn's 7 Worlds Collide project. Radiohead also has five August tour dates in Europe, according to the band's website.

Dates:

August
21- St. Poelten, Austria @ Frequency Festival
23 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Vystaviste, Bruselska Cesta
25 - Poznan, Poland @ Cytadela City Park
29 - Leeds, England @ Leeds Festival
30 - Reading, England @ Reading Festival

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Radiohead.com

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