Ed O’Brien Unveils Digital Release of “Abbeycwmhir” and Outlines Upcoming Tours

Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien has issued a digital version of “Abbeycwmhir,” a track previously limited to a seven-inch vinyl released in May. The song, named after a Powys, Wales village whose Welsh name means “Abbey in the Long Valley,” is described as a brooding, ambient piece that opens with layered ghostly vocals before his guitar emerges through “ambient swirls and flourishes.”

Rolling Stone

In recent interviews, O’Brien linked the song’s atmosphere to his four-year process creating his sophomore solo album *Blue Morpho*. He disclosed that the Covid-era pandemic triggered a “mid-life crisis” and depression, prompting him to seek solace in the Welsh countryside. He recounted walking with his dog Ziggy and visiting sites of “spiritual significance” such as monasteries, abbeys, mountains, and waterfalls, which he says helped him heal and informed the track’s mood.

Rolling Stone

Following *Blue Morpho*, O’Brien will promote the album with a European and UK concert series titled “An Evening With… Blue Morpho.” The itinerary includes dates from October 4 to October 16, 2026, in cities such as Amsterdam, Milan, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Groningen, and London. The shows will feature collaborators Dave Okumu and ESKA, offering an “immersive, fluid experience” that evolves nightly.

NME | New Musical Express

O’Brien also detailed Radiohead’s long-term touring strategy. The band plans to perform 20 shows each year on a different continent, beginning in 2027, to avoid “going through the motions” or “running on empty.” He emphasized that the group, now “not spring chickens,” wants each tour to feel sustainable and purposeful.

NME | New Musical Express

• “I’d take our dog, Ziggy, and we’d go off and walk,” — Ed O’Brien, Rolling Stone interview

Rolling Stone

• “We do not ever want it to be like we’re going through the motions or we’re having to run on empty,” — Ed O’Brien, Rolling Stone interview

Rolling Stone

• “What we’re going to do is, every year we’re going to do a different continent, and we’re going to do 20 shows each year. No more, no less,” — Ed O’Brien, Rolling Stone interview

NME | New Musical Express

• “That tour was very, very emotional, very profound,” — Ed O’Brien, Rolling Stone interview

Rolling Stone