Radiohead possibly heading to Tokyo in 2027: Summer Sonic hints at comeback

Radiohead seems to be setting its sights on Asia for the next leg of its large scale world tour. At the Tokyo edition of Summer Sonic, which kicked off on August 14, a teaser featuring live footage of the British band appeared on the large video screens next to the main stage, closing with the unmistakable message: 'TOKYO 2027'. The band itself has not officially confirmed anything yet, but the hint leaves little room for interpretation.

Radiohead has a long history with Summer Sonic. The band headlined the festival in 2003 and again in 2016, while singer Thom Yorke also played a Summer Sonic sponsored club show in 2015 with his project Tomorrow's Modern Boxes. A return to the festival would therefore be a logical next step.

The clue also fits neatly with comments guitarist Ed O'Brien made earlier this year. He revealed that the band plans to play around 20 shows per year, each time on a different continent. '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,' O'Brien said at the time. He later softened that statement slightly by asking fans to take it 'with a grain of salt', adding: 'I don't think we'll do any more than 20 shows.' He cited the emotional intensity of the concerts as the reason: 'Because you can't do any more, these songs, they're too powerful. The shows last year were really emotional. By the end of it, you were drained.'

In 2025, it was Europe's turn. Radiohead played a run of 20 arena concerts spread across London, Bologna, Madrid, Copenhagen and Berlin, including four nights at the O2 in London. Those shows even broke the O2's attendance record, a record Metallica had held since 2017. No joint plans are on the agenda for 2026, with band members currently focused on solo projects. O'Brien is heading out on a European solo tour in October, including a show at Carré in Amsterdam, in support of his solo album 'Blue Morpho'. On top of that, Thom Yorke is expected to release a new solo album this year, though that too has not yet been officially announced.

Whether Radiohead will perform as a headliner at the festival itself in 2027 or, as in 2025, play a series of standalone venue and arena tour dates remains unclear. The Tokyo hint does suggest that Asia will be the next destination in the band's multi year touring plan. That is good news for fans in that region, though Dutch fans will for now have to wait and see when Europe gets another turn.