The name Radiohead carries some serious weight — from their early Dublin performances to their more recent stadium-scale concerts. Yet despite their towering status in modern rock, the band last released new studio music in 2016, and their return to touring in 2025 has renewed speculation about whether the next chapter will include fresh songs.
Radiohead’s origins date to Abingdon, Oxfordshire in the late 1980s, with a lineup that has remained stable for decades: Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar), Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keys), Colin Greenwood (bass), Ed O’Brien (guitar), and Phil Selway (drums). Over time, they evolved from alt-rock beginnings (as heard in Pablo Honey and The Bends) into boundary-pushing experimental artists through OK Computer, Kid A, In Rainbows, and beyond.
They have released nine studio albums: Pablo Honey (1993), The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000), Amnesiac (2001), Hail to the Thief (2003), In Rainbows (2007), The King of Limbs (2011) and A Moon Shaped Pool (2016). Their last album, A Moon Shaped Pool, debuted on 8 May 2016 and marked a mature, somber turn in their sound — combining orchestral arrangements, intricate production, and emotional weight. It became their sixth UK No.1 album, going platinum in the UK and Canada, and garnering wide acclaim across Europe and North America.
Radiohead has a legacy of memorable moments. Their early Irish gigs include a show at RDS, Dublin on 21 June 1997 during the OK Computer tour. They opened with “You Are Here”, “Lucky”, “My Iron Lung” among others. Their more recent appearance in Dublin was at 3Arena on 20 June 2017, during the A Moon Shaped Pool tour, where tickets sold out within minutes. The 2017 setlist spanned their catalogue — from Kid A tracks to new material — showcasing how their Irish audience had grown with them.
Radiohead played several nights under a big top at Punchestown (County Kildare), a venue that has hosted many huge acts over the years. One notable early Dublin recording comes from “Live From A Tent in Dublin,” at Punchestown in 2000 — a concert now shared online by fans. Their link to Irish venues is punctuated also by gigs at Dublin’s Malahide Castle, where they played during the In Rainbows era (circa 2008). During that 2008 phase, they staged two concerts in Dublin and left a lasting impression on Irish audiences.
Despite that history, Radiohead’s 2025 European tour announcement contained no Irish dates — a point Irish fans have voiced disappointment over. The tour is their first in seven years and spans 20 shows across five major cities: Madrid, Bologna, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin. It was confirmed on 3 September 2025. This tour is widely considered a revival of sorts: a chance for Radiohead to reconnect with their reputation as a live force. Their last major touring activity was the tail end of the A Moon Shaped Pool cycle, which ran until 2018.
Tickets for the 2025 tour will require a registration process, intended to curb scalping and give fans fairer access. Radiohead’s approach to setlists will also be unpredictable: concerts will be staged “in the round”, meaning the audience surrounds the band, and the setlist will vary night to night. The group has reportedly whittled a candidate pool down to around 65 songs they are still “frantically learning,” with no rigid order — a return to a more spontaneous, busking-like attitude to their shows.
This bold live strategy has fans hopeful not just for performances, but for new creative output. After all, in past eras a major tour would often presage a new album cycle — especially for a band like Radiohead, whose live and studio identities have intertwined. But when asked about fresh material in an interview with The Times, the band offered cautious, even tentative responses.
Johnny Greenwood admitted, “I don’t know.” Thom Yorke followed: “We haven’t thought past the tour. I’m just stunned we got this far.”
Bassist Colin Greenwood added a more revealing comment during an appearance on the Adam Buxton Podcast: “It’s going to be the first time I think we’ve done shows where we haven’t got new material to play as work in progress. But you never know, some stuff might come up or not or whatever, so.” He also acknowledged that he and Jonny Greenwood are not on the setlist committee, joking, “we’re too indecisive,” and said the band had reduced the pool to about 70 songs.
In recent reporting, Radiohead have trimmed that pool slightly — now sitting at about 65 songs, still being rehearsed and considered for the road. “We have too many songs,” Yorke remarked in the interview, perhaps summarising the creative abundance they now manage.
So, what does this mean for fans hoping for a new Radiohead album? The statements suggest that post-2025, the band may opt not to immediately follow up with new material. Their creative focus — at least publicly — remains locked on delivering a rich live experience. Their reserving judgment on the future means one thing is clear: their legacy as songwriters and performers gives them the luxury to choose their path.
Still, even without confirmation of new songs, Radiohead’s return carries weight. The absence of new albums since 2016 might make this tour an inflection point: either a spectacular live resurgence or the prelude to fresh chapters yet to come. Given their history — from OK Computer to In Rainbows to A Moon Shaped Pool — Radiohead have often surprised expectations. For now, however, the focus seems firmly fixed on the stage rather than the studio.
Irish fans, despite lacking a home date in 2025, will watch closely. Because with Radiohead, even a tour announcement and a “no promises yet” stance can spark excitement and debate. And perhaps after those 20 nights in Europe, the question might shift: not whether there will be new music, but whether Radiohead have more surprises up their sleeve.
