Radiohead - Ed O’Brien outlines 2027 world tour plans
Published on 08/21/2026 at 07:21 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Radiohead are already looking beyond their current hiatus. According to a recent interview cited by Variety and other outlets, guitarist Ed O’Brien says the band plans to play around 20 shows a year on different continents starting in 2027, while remaining inactive in 2026.
Ed O’Brien’s plan for 20 shows a year
In a March 2026 report, Variety summarized comments O’Brien made in a Rolling Stone interview about Radiohead’s future touring model, quoting him as saying the band aims to perform 20 concerts annually, each year on a different continent, beginning in 2027. Variety’s coverage of O’Brien’s plans frames this as a deliberate, sustainable approach to touring.
O’Brien explains that the group tested the concept with 20 shows across Europe in late 2025, their first tour since 2018, and intends to repeat that scale on other continents once the new cycle begins. That means roughly one continent per year, with a capped number of dates, rather than continuous global touring.
What this means for fans in Germany and Europe
For German fans, the most recent chance to see Radiohead was the December 2025 run at Uber Arena in Berlin, part of the European tour that included Madrid, Bologna, London and Copenhagen. Major outlets such as the BBC and Time Out published the full European schedule, confirming four nights in Berlin from December 8 to 12, 2025. BBC’s tour announcement provides a verified list of those dates.
Because O’Brien has stated that Radiohead will do nothing in 2026 and will only regroup the following year, German fans face at least a year without new live dates. At the same time, his 20-shows-per-continent concept suggests that a future European leg, once the cycle rotates back to Europe, would again prioritize major hubs like Berlin, London and Paris, likely in multi-night runs rather than single shows.
Radiohead touring, charts and legacy at a glance
Readers who want a broader view of Radiohead’s recent tour activity, chart history and solo projects can find further coverage in our archive and on the band’s official channels.
Radiohead’s musical identity and key works
Radiohead emerged from Oxfordshire in the early 1990s as a guitar-driven alternative rock band, then gradually incorporated electronic textures, sampling and more experimental structures. The early breakthrough came with Pablo Honey (1993) and the single Creep, but their reputation as a forward-thinking band was cemented with The Bends (1995) and particularly OK Computer (1997), which mixed guitar rock with unsettling sound design and abstract lyrics.
Their pivot into more electronic, fragmented music on Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001) influenced an entire generation of indie and electronic artists. Later works like In Rainbows (2007), released via a pay-what-you-want download, showed the band rebalancing tight songcraft with experimental production, while A Moon Shaped Pool (2016) gathered older live favorites like True Love Waits into a dense, orchestral studio setting.
Where Radiohead stand now
Based on Ed O’Brien’s 2026 comments, Radiohead are currently on a break with no announced live dates after the December 2025 European tour, and are planning a new, limited world-touring cycle from 2027 onward, built around about 20 shows per year on rotating continents.
Radiohead at a glance
- Act: Radiohead
- Genre: Alternative rock, experimental rock
- Origin: Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
- Active since: 1985
- Lineup: Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar), Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards), Colin Greenwood (bass), Ed O’Brien (guitar, vocals), Philip Selway (drums)
- Label: XL Recordings (most recent studio releases)
- Key works: The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000), In Rainbows (2007)
- Current album/single: A Moon Shaped Pool, released May 2016 as the latest full Radiohead studio album
- Charts / certifications: OK Computer has remained a staple in the UK Official Charts’ Record Store Chart, re-entering at No. 10 on January 9, 2026 after 147 weeks on that ranking.
- Next live date: currently no officially announced future live date.
Frequently asked questions about Radiohead
Is Radiohead touring in 2026?
Ed O’Brien has said that Radiohead will not do anything as a band in 2026 and instead plan to regroup and start a new cycle of about 20 shows a year on different continents from 2027 onward.
When did Radiohead last play in Germany?
The band’s most recent confirmed German shows were a four-night run at Uber Arena in Berlin on December 8, 9, 11 and 12, 2025, as part of their first European tour since 2018.
What is the latest Radiohead studio album?
Radiohead’s latest full studio album is A Moon Shaped Pool, released in May 2016. Since then, members have focused on other projects, including Thom Yorke’s and Ed O’Brien’s solo records, while the band prepares its long-term touring plans.
This article was created with AI assistance and editorially checked. Sources are linked in the text. Dates, chart positions and certifications may change at short notice; we welcome correction notes via the editorial contact on our imprint/contact page.
