Radiohead fans were left disappointed this week after a presale system meant to give early access to tickets instead produced more "unlock codes" than available seats for the band's 2025 United Kingdom and Ireland dates.
The band announced four shows at London's O2 Arena this November as part of their first tour in seven years. Fans were asked to register for an unlock code to access a presale before a general sale due to begin on Friday; the terms and conditions for the sale showed organisers distributed codes at a rate higher than venue capacity.
The presale terms state: "Organiser anticipates that the number of Unlock Codes made available for each Venue will be equivalent to 120% of the aggregate number of tickets available for that Venue (across all performances taking place at that Venue)." In practice, the provision means more people were given access codes than there are tickets to sell for the scheduled performances.
That imbalance raised the prospect that many fans who obtained an unlock code would still be unable to buy tickets, or would be limited to fewer seats than the maximum allocation tied to each code. The presale policy allowed up to four tickets per unlock code, but organisers warned availability during the presale could fall short of demand.
Users on the Reddit forum drew attention to the implications and attempted to estimate likely outcomes. One post hypothesised that issuing codes at 120% of a venue's capacity across multiple nights would result in a substantially larger number of codes than seats. Another user wrote that under those conditions "around 25-30% of people are gonna get tickets that have codes," a calculation reflecting the mismatch between codes and actual ticket supply.
Daily Mail reported that representatives for Radiohead were contacted for comment.
The presale complication comes amid separate tensions around the tour. Some pro-Palestine groups have threatened a boycott after guitarist Jonny Greenwood performed in Tel Aviv in May 2024 with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. The collaboration, which produced the 2023 album Jarak Qaribak that reworks Middle Eastern love songs, featured contributors from Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait and Iraq.
Greenwood has defended his work with Tassa and other musicians from the region. In a statement quoted by media outlets, he said he has collaborated with Tassa since 2008 and described the project as an "artistic project that combines Arab and Jewish musicians" that he regarded as worthwhile. Greenwood added that "silencing Israeli artists for being born Jewish in Israel doesn't seem like any way to reach an understanding between the two sides of this apparently endless conflict."
Earlier this year, Greenwood and Tassa's collective cancelled two planned U.K. performances after reports of credible threats to the gigs. Greenwood said at the time that he and collaborators "dread the weaponisation of this cancellation by reactionary figures as much as we lament its celebration by some progressives."
Radiohead last played in Tel Aviv on their 2017 tour despite calls for cancellation. The band's 2025 U.K. and Ireland itinerary will be the first comprehensive tour for the group since that time, intensifying demand among longtime fans.
Ticketing systems that distribute access codes or registration slots ahead of a general sale are often used to manage demand and limit automated purchases, but the disclosure that codes would outnumber tickets by design is likely to heighten frustration among buyers who registered in hopes of securing seats. The general sale scheduled for Friday will determine how many registration holders ultimately obtain tickets and how many fans are left without seats.