Don’t try and hold Radiohead to ransom.

After 18 hours of music from the OK Computer sessions was stolen from Thom Yorke’s MiniDisc archive (it was the 90s after all), with the anonymous hacker demanding the band pay $150,000 for its return, Radiohead have taken things into their own hands. Announcing last night that they’ll be selling the music on their Bandcamp for about $33 with the money going to Extinction Rebellion, an environmental activist group.

“We got hacked last week – someone stole Thom’s MiniDisc archive from around the time of ‘OK Computer’, and reportedly demanded $150,000 on threat of releasing it. So instead of complaining – much – or ignoring it, we’re releasing all 18 hours on Bandcamp in aid of Extinction Rebellion,” Johnny Greenwood said. “Just for the next 18 days. So for £18 you can find out if we should have paid that ransom. Never intended for public consumption (though some clips did reach the cassette in the OK Computer reissue) it’s only tangentially interesting. And very, very long. Not a phone download. Rainy out, isn’t it though?”

Of the music we’ve heard, there’s a bunch of demos and live recordings that will undoubtedly have diehard Radiohead fans excited. Have a listen to one of the tapes in all its glory below: