Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien says the iconic British band has mapped out an ambitious multi-year touring plan that will take them to a different continent each year, beginning in 2027.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, O'Brien confirmed the band will play exactly 20 shows per year on a rotating continental basis. "What we're going to do is, every year we're going to do a different continent, and we're going to do 20 shows each year. No more, no less," he said.
The plan builds on Radiohead's successful comeback tour last fall, when the band played four shows each in five European cities — their first live performances in seven years.
The guitarist says the 20-show limit is a deliberate choice to protect the quality of each performance. "We want to give absolutely everything each night," he told Rolling Stone. "We do not ever want it to be like we're going through the motions or we're having to run on empty. We've got to be able to do it. And you know what? We're not spring chickens anymore."
O'Brien says Radiohead won’t tour in 2026 as he focuses on his solo album, Blue Morpho, set for release on May 22.
The 2027 tour is expected to include stops in North America, South America, and Asia and Oceania. O'Brien told Rolling Stone that when the band reunited for rehearsals in 2024, the chemistry was immediate. "We hadn't played together for six years," he said. "We're like, 'How do we know if we're going to be any good?' And the chemistry was there from the very beginning."