Radio One

Philip Selway is, without doubt, one of the most recognisable musicians in the world.

As drummer with Radiohead he has achieved the heights of rock stardom - playing the planet’s biggest venues, selling more than 30 million albums and being ranked among the greatest artists of all time.

So it might come as a surprise to find this musical giant playing a pair of intimate shows for a handful of people at a small youth theatre.

But that’s the kind of bloke he is.

As well as being Radiohead’s percussive and electronic powerhouse, this Abingdon lad is a softly-spoken, self-effacing man who has never lost sight of his local roots.

Famous as a long-term supporter of, and volunteer with, The Samaritans, his latest project sees him sharing his knowledge and expertise with the musicians of tomorrow - helping out on a musical technology course at East Oxford’s Pegaus theatre.

To support the organisation’s work with young people, and raise crucial funds, he will perform at the Magdalen Road venue, showcasing his own work as a solo artist.

The shows, next Thursday and Friday (10 and 11), will see singer-songwriter Philip swapping his customary spot at the back of the stage, for the very front - and leaving his drums for guitar and mike.

It’s a prospect he relishes, and follows a series of previous solo shows to accompany the release of his debut album Familial and the summer’s Running Blind EP.

“Playing solo had been at the back of my mind for some time,” he says.

“I had the skeletons of songs forming over six years, but what I hadn’t done is record them.

“It has been a very busy time in Radiohead and there has not been a huge amount of time outside. But I had this body of work which felt personal to me and didn’t feel suitable to bring into the Radiohead arena.

“I had a nagging feeling that I’d like to perform it myself.”

The result is a heartfelt, often delicate, collection of songs which have earned comparisons to John Martyn and Nick Drake.

The leap from sticksman to soloist follows collaborations with Martin Simpson, and, along with bandmate Ed O’Brien, with Crowded House’s Neil Finn and his 7 Worlds Collide project.

“That gave me that final nudge of confidence,” he says. “Neil is an amazing songwriter and he was very encouraging about it.

“There is an odd intensity when you step out of your familiar surroundings. But you have to do that. That’s the only way you push yourself musically.”

So has he enjoyed stepping out of the shadows and into the limelight? “It’s not a ‘limelight’ thing,” he stresses. “There is a ‘dynamic’ we have in Radiohead, but, I suppose, I like the whole idea of being able to do my own material.

“When I am doing my own stuff, I have more of a central role. Ultimately, it’s down to me, while in Radiohead it’s down to five of us – or six if you include [producer] Nigel Godrich.”

So how much creative input does he have inside the band, famously fronted by the man he first met as an Abingdon schoolboy, Thom Yorke? “We all have a power of veto,” he says. “Though, as you would expect, Thom has a very strong voice. We all respect each other’s opinions though. It is that relationship between us that makes Radiohead what it is.”

The solo shows, which sees Philip joined by multi-instrumentalists Adem Ilhan, Kath Mann, Caroline Weeks and Alex Thomas, will be the first real public show in Oxfordshire by a member of Radiohead since Philip’s own solo set at July’s Truck Festival in Steventon – and, for most, the first in the city since the band’s seminal South Park gig in 2001 – a show which still holds a special place in Philip’s heart.

“Coming back to South Park was one of the proudest moments of my life,” he says.

“It was magical,” he goes on clearly enjoying the memory of that rainy summer evening.

“To have that sort of show in your hometown – just a 300 yard walk from my front door, at the time – and under all the elements, was incredible. At the time it felt like a great conclusion to where we had been. It was amazing.

“It will be hard to top that night.”

Now living in west Oxfordshire, Philip says he, his wife Cait and their three children Leo, Jamie and Patrick, are enjoying rural life.

“It’s a bit more spacious,” he says. “It’s good to have a bit more room for the kids to run around.”

And he has no intention of leaving his home county. “Everything is based here for us,” he says. “And we have a network of family and friends. When you have kids, it is lovely to have that.”

So how did he get involved with Pegasus?

“I’m a patron and have been involved with the theatre for a couple of years,” he says.

“Naturally we started talking about musical projects. They have a very good muscial technology course there, and I became involved.

“The theatre is also coming up to its 50th anniversary, and these shows will help mark that.”

With his own solo work taking up more of his time, what, I wonder is happening to Radiohead? Can we expect that new album, and perhaps a tour, in the new year?

“We have not been playing much lately, but we are talking about rectifying that at some point,” he says.

“We are talking about playing,” he adds, chosing his words carefully. “But until we completely know what we are doing, I’m not talking about specifics.”

For now, he says, he is enjoying finding out what other people make of his work – with the release of an album of remixes of Radiohead’s last album The King of Limbs – TKOL RMX 1234567.

“It’s amazing the way people have taken on the material,” he says.

“We first had remixes done ages ago and the results can actually influence how we approach the songs ourselves – not that we’d take anyone else’s idea!”

And his favourite remix? “Definitely Caribou’s version of Little by Little,” he says. “Because it’s Caribou , and because it’s so in tune with the song itself.”

Being so busy, I wonder if Philip has much opportunity to follow the Oxford music scene?

I’ve not really heard much of the new crop of bands,” he says. “But, for the size of the place, the scene seems very healthy indeed.”

* Philip Selway plays the Pegasus in Oxford next Thursday and Friday at 8pm. Tickets are £25. See pegasustheatre.org.uk or call 01865 812150.