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Radiohead stars’ demo tape going under the hammer

A demo featuring “raw”, unheard tracks from the band which would go on to become Radiohead is going under the hammer.

The cassette was recorded when the group was called On A Friday.

They met at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire and took their name from the day of the week when they rehearsed.

The demo, which is expected to fetch £2,000, features six tracks, three of which have not been heard before, auctioneers said.

The unheard tracks, which suggest the band’s “potential,” are Promise Me, Boy In A Box and These Chains.

The cassette tape includes handwritten notes (Omega Auctions/PA)
The cassette tape includes handwritten notes (Omega Auctions/PA)

Handwritten notes and a label design by frontman Thom Yorke are included in the cassette, which is going under the hammer at Omega Auctions.

The seller, who wants to remain anonymous, knew the band in the early 1990s and was given the tape by a member of the group.

It is thought the tracks were recorded after the band left school but before they signed to EMI Records and changed their name to Radiohead in 1991.

They later became acclaimed for tracks such as Paranoid Android, Creep and Karma Police.

Auctioneer Paul Fairweather said: “The tracks are raw but certainly suggest something of the fantastic potential that the band would realise in a few years’ time.”

The cassette is part of the online Punk and Indie Auction on January 26 at Omega Auctions.