Radiohead Breaks Years-Long Record Held by Metallica

Radiohead's tour to commemorate their classic album "The Bends" was already set to make history, but their set of dates in the United Kingdom will now live in infamy.

The English band played four sold-out shows at the O2 Arena in London earlier this month, and they broke a long-standing record that was previously held by another all-time great band in the process.

Radiohead's four shows at the O2 from November 21-25 each brought in over 20,000 attendees, with the final show reporting an attendance of 22,355. The sellout streak beat the previous record that has been held by Metallica since 2017.

After four sensational sold-out shows at The O2, @radiohead have made history with the highest ever attendance within the arena. Previously set by Metallica in 2017, the band have now surpassed that attendance figure four times, setting a new record of 22,355 ???? pic.twitter.com/s3EuPYlhYo

— The O2 (@TheO2) November 28, 2025

Radiohead's Record-Breaking Performances

"These past four record-breaking nights will go down in the venue’s history, with Radiohead breaking the attendance records each night,” said O2 senior programming director Christian D’Acuna.

“We knew how special these exclusive shows would be and we’re so grateful to the band for bringing them to the O2. It’s been a true honor to host them, and each night they played different set lists spanning their incredible back catalogue. These shows will be remembered for years to come.”

Radiohead returned to touring in early November, beginning a 20-date European tour with a show in Madrid. The band is back on stage for the first time in seven years, and their tour will take them through Bologna, Copenhagen and Berlin.

Prior to the European return, Radiohead last played during 2018's tour supporting their album "A Moon Shaped Pool."

Drummer Philip Selway said that the band joined together last year to rehearse, and that "it felt really good to play the songs again and reconnect with a musical identity that has become lodged deep inside all five of us.”

Radiohead's Influence and Inspiration

Radiohead's classic albums have served as inspiration for many artists over the last few decades, with records like "OK Computer" and "Kid A" cited as formative and sentimental albums by several artists and bands across multiple genres.

"Kid A" in particular helped to revolutionize how music was marketed and distributed, as one of the first albums to be promoted primarily through the internet. The album leaked on the internet three weeks before release, but word of mouth and positive reception may have led to a greater number of sales than initially anticipated.

The album debuted at the top of the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and it is also certified platinum in six different countries.

The band will continue their European tour with four dates at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark in early December. From there, they'll head to Berlin's Uber Arena for a set of sold-out dates later in the month.