After seven long years away from the stage, Radiohead are officially returning to live performance. The announcement of their 2025 European tour has electrified fans worldwide, marking the band’s first shows since 2018. What started as a simple rehearsal last year quickly reignited their spark, with drummer Philip Selway explaining, “After a seven-year pause, it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all five of us.”
The shows will take place across five cities, with multiple nights booked in each location. Madrid will host the opening concerts in early November before the band moves through Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and finally Berlin in December. Each performance promises an intimate yet expansive celebration of Radiohead’s vast catalog, though the band has not hinted at releasing a new album alongside the tour. Thom Yorke has stressed that they are working strictly on their own terms, framing these shows as a creative impulse rather than a commercial push.
Tickets will be made available through a pre-registration system on Radiohead’s website in an effort to protect fans from scalpers and bots. Priority will be given based on how close fans live to each venue, a move designed to make access as fair as possible. Every ticket also carries a charitable contribution: in the UK, £1 per ticket will go to Live Trust, which supports grassroots venues, while in Europe €1 will go to Médecins Sans Frontières. The band has pledged to personally match all funds raised.
Though the announcement has been met with joy from fans who feared the band might never tour again, it has also drawn controversy. Pro-Palestinian groups have renewed their calls for a boycott of Radiohead, focusing on guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s past performances in Tel Aviv and the group’s refusal to cancel shows in Israel during earlier tours. For many, however, the focus remains on the rare opportunity to see one of the most acclaimed bands of the past three decades back on stage together.
Since their last tour, the five members have remained busy with side projects. Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood formed The Smile, which quickly gained critical acclaim. Ed O’Brien, Colin Greenwood, and Philip Selway pursued solo records and collaborations, while Yorke also explored electronic soundscapes and soundtrack work. Still, the absence of Radiohead as a unit has been deeply felt, making this return one of the most anticipated live comebacks in recent memory.
The full list of 2025 tour dates is as follows:
- Madrid: November 4, 5, 7, 8
- Bologna: November 14, 15, 17, 18
- London (The O₂): November 21, 22, 24, 25
- Copenhagen: December 1, 2, 4, 5
- Berlin: December 8, 9, 11, 12
