14 Bands Like Radiohead (With Music Videos)

Radiohead are a unique band.

That makes finding bands like Radiohead a challenge.

But it’s not impossible.

While no other group is exactly like them, there are plenty of artists out there with many similarities.

They might still be different in a lot of ways, but fans of Radiohead are highly likely to also be fans of the bands listed below.

So let’s take a look.

 

Bands That Sound Like Radiohead

The National

Coming from Ohio, this group of enthusiastic young individuals formed their band in New York City in 1999. Calling themselves The National, they’ve kept the same 5-piece lineup since 2001 and have delivered a total of eight albums so far.

Their overall style can be compared to artists like Nick Cave, Joy Division, Wilco, and even Depeche Mode. And, of course, you can notice obvious similarities with Radiohead.

This is one of the safest choices on the list and you just can’t go wrong with them if you love Radiohead. Feel free to start with any of their records.

 

Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are another band you’ll love if you’re into Radiohead. Formed back in the early 1980s, Nick Cave has led his band through various different eras. Nonetheless, they always stayed true to their style, even after numerous lineup changes.

Nick Cave’s music has always had that eerie feel to it. This has definitely had an impact on Radiohead and we’re certain that you’ll enjoy Nick Cave’s material if you’re into Radiohead. And if you like the TV show Peaky Blinders, you’ll already be familiar with the song in the video below.

 

Bon Iver

Bon Iver is a band fronted and led by Justin Vernon. Ever since their formation in 2006, he’s been the main songwriter and the creative mastermind behind the group.

The band’s style is kind of hard to describe, but they lean toward folky-sounding rock music with some psychedelic-inspired elements in the mix.

They’re one of those bands that focuses more on quality rather than quantity. Between 2006 and today, they’ve released only four studio records. But getting into them is easy, because they have no fillers on their albums.

 

Tame Impala

A project led by Australian musician Kevin Parker, Tame Impala is an obligatory addition to your playlists if you love Radiohead. Although the genre labels put onto his music might make it seem as if he’s a semi-obscure musician, Kevin Parker has achieved worldwide success with this project.

Once again, we have an artist with only four full-length albums. But taking a listen to any of the records, you’ll realize that Kevin Parker focuses on creating only the good stuff and not something that would take up time on his releases.

What’s more, there are no cliché songs written for the sole purpose of being chart-topping hits. At the same time, he manages to capture the hearts of various different music fans all over the world. Tame Impala is a must-listen. And if you like them, check out MGMT, a similar band.

 

Sigur Rós

Iceland is home to some of the most interesting post-rock bands out there. If you like mellow low-key stuff with just a dash of that eerie feeling, then Sigur Rós is the way to go.

Starting their work back in the mid-1990s, they’ve been led by two musicians: Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson and Georg “Goggi” Hólm.

During their career, they’ve released seven full-length albums, the last one being released in 2013. And if you really want to get into them, you’ll have to read up a bit about their unusual concepts, including even a constructed language. One thing’s certain – there’s not another band out there like Sigur Rós.

 

David Bowie

David Bowie is an obligatory mention here. We all know about the huge impact he had on modern music in general.

Musicians in pop, rock, metal, and other music genres often hail him as one of their crucial influences. And he obviously inspired Radiohead, so you’ll just have to add Bowie to your playlists.

David Bowie is not only one of the most prolific musicians of the 20th century, but he also knew how to tastefully blend different styles.

Not to mention that he always combined visual art with his music, ultimately creating some of the most interesting concept albums of all time. There’s a lot of different stuff in his catalog and you can start with pretty much anything.

 

Pink Floyd

Of course, Pink Floyd are an easy pick for this list as well. In fact, the guys from Radiohead cite them as one of their main influences. There’s slim chance that you haven’t heard at least one of Pink Floyd’s songs, considering they’re one of the biggest things to happen to modern culture.

But if you need a guide to their discography, we’d recommend The Dark Side of the Moon. You’ll especially love them if you’re into very expressive and slow guitar solos.

David Gilmour is a musician unlike any other. And we can say the same exact thing about Roger Waters, who was the band’s main creative force during their crucial periods.

 

Nine Inch Nails

Trent Reznor singlehandedly changed modern music with his project Nine Inch Nails. Sitting in a weird spot that covers industrial rock, metal, and pop music, Nine Inch Nails has a lot of stuff to offer.

Starting in 1988, Trent Reznor accumulated a wide following among various different music fans. For instance, you’ll see his music in playlists of devoted metalheads and mainstream pop fans. Be that as it may, if you’re a Radiohead fan, it’s highly likely that you’ll love Trent Reznor’s music. See our breakdown of the Closer lyrics meaning for an example.

 

Arcade Fire

Up next, we have Canadian indie rock legends Arcade Fire. Formed back in 2001, the only sole original member at this point is vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Win Butler.

He also serves as the band’s principal songwriter, leading them through five full-length studio albums and one soundtrack album for 2013’s film Her, starring Joaquin Phoenix.

They’ve had quite a musical journey. From their beginnings to now, they’ve incorporated a lot of unexpected and unconventional instruments for rock music.

But at the same time, we can always easily notice their wonderful signature style. And, most importantly, Radiohead and Arcade Fire fanbases often overlap, so there’s a high chance you’ll love them! It is no coincidence that we considered both for our inclusion is our list of bands like Depeche Mode.

 

Nirvana

You don’t often find a band or an artist bold enough to do the complete opposite of what the mainstream trends are. That’s exactly what the band Nirvana did back in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. With Kurt Cobain leading the way, they became one of the most important rock bands of all time.

While Nirvana isn’t really the first band that comes to mind when you’re talking about Radiohead, there are some similarities in their overall style. In fact, Nirvana fans often love Radiohead, and Radiohead fans often love Nirvana.

At the end of the day, Nirvana is a must for every rock fan. With Kurt Cobain as one of the leaders of the Grunge movement, going through their discography is like learning essential music history.

 

The Smashing Pumpkins

With that said, The Smashing Pumpkins are another grunge-era band that you’ll want to check out. Led by Billy Corgan, they’ve evolved over the years, but you can always hear their unique style.

If we’re talking about Radiohead fans, The Smashing Pumpkins’ early material is what you’ll want to check out. This is especially the case with the 1993 album Siamese Dream.

 

Leprous

Leprous are not exactly like the rest of the bands on this list. This is mostly the case because a lot of their material can be categorized as progressive metal.

At the same time, this Norwegian band has cited Radiohead as one of their main influences, which can be noticed in a lot of their songs.

Over the years, they’ve kind of shifted towards a pop-oriented sound, all while staying true to their unique progressive metal style. This is especially noticeable on the 2019 album Pitfalls which is a great choice for Radiohead fans.

If you love Radiohead, but would like a heavier twist to this kind of music, then give Leprous a spin.

 

Porcupine Tree

And then we have a band like Porcupine Tree that’s often been categorized as progressive rock as well. While there are certainly reasons to put them there, we’d argue that they deserve a genre of their own, similar to a band like Tool.

The whole project started back in 1987, with young and talented Steven Wilson creating his own music. Two albums and some other minor releases were basically his solo projects. Porcupine Tree then became a band with regular members, lasting until 2010.

There’s a whole variety of styles in Steven Wilson’s music. But if you like Radiohead, pretty much anything will sit well with you. After all, Wilson is a real artist who won’t just put up any kind of music.

 

Muse

Lastly, we’d like to mention Muse as one of the bands that Radiohead fans will like. This legendary trio has achieved massive worldwide success and has even entered mainstream pop territories with some of their material.

But then again, we have a trio of very innovative, proficient, and diverse musicians, delivering some of the most interesting music to the mainstream charts.

No matter what you’re into, Muse is really easy to get into. And that’s especially the case if you’re into Radiohead.

 

Bands Like Radiohead: Final Thoughts

As mentioned in the beginning, none of these bands are exactly like Radiohead. How could they be? But they all have some similarities.

And those similarities mean that fans of Radiohead are likely to enjoy most, if not all, of the music listed on this page. If you want even more recommendations, check out our rundown of bands like Arctic Monkeys. Radiohead is one of the bands mentioned there.

Do you agree with our list? And are there any other bands you feel should have been on this list? If so, feel free to let us know in the comments below.

And if you are a fan of Radiohead’s you might also want to check out our discussion of the Creep lyrics meaning.