Source : the age
Radiohead appear to have taken a leaf out of Willy Wonka’s playbook. Mysterious cards suggesting an upcoming Australian tour by the band have been scattered around the country this week, sending fans of the cult English outfit on a scavenger hunt.
Since the beginning of the week, cards emblazoned with “2027 Radiohead” have been found in stores and bars across Melbourne, including Readings Carlton, Fitzroy North’s Champagne Video and Abbotsford’s Dutch Vinyl. According to Radiohead fan subreddits, some were also found around Melbourne’s Lygon Street, as well as in venues across Perth and Sydney.
A QR code on the back of the flyers sends curious fans to a sign-up page for W.A.S.T.E., the band’s official merchandise website. Fans believe the cards are subtly teasing an Australian tour next year, though the band has remained quiet so far. If true, it would mark the group’s first visit in almost 14 years. (Radiohead’s Australian promoters have been contacted for comment.)
“I noticed a few of them in the shop on Tuesday morning,” said George Thalassoudis, an employee at Dutch Vinyl, on Thursday. “I suspect someone left them around on Monday, or maybe even earlier … Yesterday, we had a bunch of people come through looking for them, but they were long gone [by then].”
Staff at Champagne Video said they had found a few cards in the back row of its cinema, as well as in the music video section of its VHS store room. Meanwhile, Readings Carlton staff had fans visit the store as recently as Thursday to ask for any remaining cards.
History appears to back the speculation up, as Radiohead pulled a similar gimmick before their European tour last year. In September 2025, various cards were discovered around different European cities, including London, Madrid and Copenhagen. The cards resembled those found in Australia this week, though with “2025” emblazoned on the front and with a slightly different colour scheme. The band went on to tour these cities in November and December.
It has been rumoured that Radiohead will play at the Japanese music festival Summer Sonic in August 2027, amid the appearance of nondescript cards around Japan.
Guitarist Ed O’Brien recently told Rolling Stone that the band’s members planned to tour again next year, suggesting they would hit one continent or region a year, and complete about 20 shows. He mentioned Asia and Oceania as areas they had considered.
Radiohead last toured Australia in 2012 on the back of their eighth studio album, The King of Limbs. The group have performed in Australia only four times: in 1994, 1998, 2004 and 2012. Their last Australian tour was so popular that tickets sold out within minutes of going on sale.
Frontman Thom Yorke returned to Australia in October 2024 to perform several solo shows. He walked off the stage during one of his Melbourne gigs on that tour after an audience member shouted from the stalls about the deaths of children in Gaza. A year later, Yorke revealed the incident had taken a toll on his mental health, saying he remained in shock that his “supposed silence” was perceived by some as complicity with Israel.
Formed in 1985 as On a Friday, the group changed their name to Radiohead in 1991 and released hit debut single Creep the following year. Though it struggled to take off initially, the track went on to become a major alternative rock anthem around the world. The band went on to release tracks including Paranoid Android, Karma Police and Fake Plastic Trees.
Radiohead announced in 2018 that they had ceased touring, but returned to the stage last year.
The Booklist is a weekly newsletter for book lovers from Jason Steger. Get it delivered every Friday.
Nell Geraets is a Culture reporter at The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
