Radiohead’s ‘Motion Picture House: Kid A mnesia’ to Premiere at Coachella, Then Play in Installations in Four Cities

Radiohead has unveiled plans for a significant new artistic endeavor: a standalone immersive installation called "Motion Picture House featuring Kid A Mnesia." This project marks a departure from conventional touring, focusing instead on an audiovisual experience built around a film that brings to life the seminal artwork from the band's early-2000s albums, "Kid A" and "Amnesiac." The visuals, originally crafted by frontman Thom Yorke and his longtime collaborator Stanley Donwood, will be paired with a soundtrack freshly remixed from the original album multitracks. The band has explicitly stated this installation is a separate venture from their anticipated return to the global concert circuit in 2027.

The experience will first open to the public at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 10, accessible to all attendees. Following its festival debut, it will launch a limited tour of major cities. Confirmed venues include the Agger Fish Building in Brooklyn (May 6-31), Cinespace Studio in Chicago (July 30-August 23), La Maravilla Studios in Mexico City (October 27-November 15), and San Francisco's historic Palace of Fine Arts (January 14-February 7). Each location will also host a gallery showcasing large-scale prints of Yorke and Donwood's work from that creative period, providing a comprehensive look at the albums' distinct and influential visual identity.

This physical exhibition represents the full realization of the "KID A MNESIA" concept, which was initially launched as a digital experience during the COVID-19 lockdowns. That earlier version, directed by Sean Evans and constructed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine, was released for gaming consoles and PC, earning acclaim for its eerie and atmospheric design. The shift to a tangible, architectural format fundamentally changes the participant's relationship to the art. As media historian Dr. Elena Vance notes, "It transforms a solitary, screen-based exploration into a collective, sensory event where scale and sound can physically envelop the audience." To achieve this deep immersion, the touring installation will utilize a bespoke 6-point surround sound system, a technical choice that underscores the band's commitment to auditory detail, a hallmark of their studio work since their groundbreaking 1997 album "OK Computer."

For its Coachella presentation, the installation will be housed in a massive, custom-built subterranean space beneath the festival grounds, spanning 17,000 square feet with 38-foot ceilings. At subsequent ticketed venues, entry will be managed via two-hour time slots from Thursday through Sunday, allowing 75 minutes for the core film with the remainder for the gallery. To combat ticket resale inflation, Radiohead will utilize the anti-scalping Fair AXS ticketing platform. Fans can register for a presale opportunity at kida-mnesia.com until April 12 at 11:59 PM PT; the presale begins April 22, with any remaining tickets going on general sale April 24.

The installation's narrative, described by Thom Yorke as a world where "a Monster is trapped in a derelict museum of the lost & forgotten," promises a psychologically intense journey. This project serves as a culmination of a profoundly creative era that defied commercial expectations and permanently reshaped the landscape of alternative rock. By translating this digitally-native artwork into a shared physical space, Radiohead is not only revisiting its past but also creating a new, visceral gateway for audiences. This move reflects a broader trend in how legacy artists are engaging fans beyond the album-tour cycle, offering deep-dive experiences that contextualize their most influential work for contemporary audiences.