Missed out on Radiohead tickets? Here’s how to try again
Fans desperate to nab tickets for Radiohead’s 2027 Australian tour still have a chance – but they’ll have to be quick.
Some fans were delighted today after securing their spot to the hugely popular English band’s first Australian dates in 15 years, while others were left empty-handed and disappointed.
By 4pm on Tuesday, one Sydney show was sold out, and tickets for two of the city’s six shows were limited, while tickets were limited for all six Melbourne shows and one of the four Perth shows. After tickets went on sale at 9am, many fans reported that they had missed out altogether due to technical issues.
Those hoping that the release of pre-sale tickets will present a second chance will have to wait until next year, and they will only be eligible to buy them if they are already registered.
Pre-sale tickets will be available from April 5 for the band’s Perth shows, April 15 for their Melbourne dates and April 27 for their Sydney shows.
Fans had to register their interest by last Thursday to be eligible to buy tickets, in a move designed by the band to help genuine fans secure a seat (or standing room), and to avoid profiteering by bots and scalpers.
But on Tuesday many frustrated fans were asking why there were so many issues with the ticket-buying process. Some reported that they had been kicked out of the queue before getting to the point where they could select tickets; others said they were ejected from the queue after selecting seats; some who selected “best possible” seat options found they were not progressing through the queue; and some said their attempts to use PayPal and ApplePay failed, while others had credit cards rejected.
Despite the number of tickets being capped to four per person, some buyers reported being allowed the option of buying four tickets each to multiple shows, contrary to the capping policy.
In Melbourne, the authorised ticketing agency is AXS, the new agency for all tickets to Melbourne Park events, while in Sydney and Perth it is Ticketek. Some users of the ASX system were blocked and were told: “You are unable to access queue-asx.com.”
Frontier Touring, Ticketek and AXS have been contacted for comment.
The issues come a week after fans were told they had to register before buying tickets for the much-anticipated tour, as this masthead reported on September 9 (see below).
Want to buy Radiohead tickets? Better follow these instructions
Radiohead fans rejoiced this week after the legendary English band announced an Australian tour next year. But for those hoping to buy tickets, the process is a bit more complicated than they might expect.
Instead of simply purchasing tickets via ticketing platform Ticketek – or waiting in an online queue during pre-sales, as fans did for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in 2024 – Radiohead fans need to first register their interest in buying tickets.
The band announced on Monday that they would play 16 dates in Australia, at Perth’s RAC Arena, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and Sydney’s Afterpay Arena, in May and June 2027, their first Australian gigs in 15 years.
It’s an unusual system, one that comes with a strict deadline, and appears to have been designed by the band to keep it fair for fans and avoid people profiteering off the huge demand for tickets. But be warned – registering doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a ticket.
After a deep dive through the 2000-plus-word FAQ page on the band’s website, here’s what you need to know.
How do I buy tickets?
You must register to be eligible to purchase tickets to the band’s Australian shows. The registration form is accessible via Radiohead’s website or Frontier Touring. All registrations must be submitted by 5pm AEST on Thursday. Anyone who misses the deadline will not be eligible. That said, there’s no benefit to registering early, as the band’s website emphasises each submission received ahead of the deadline will be “treated equally”.
The registration process itself is simple. You’ll need to share your full name, email address, phone number, country of residence and the cities you’d like to see Radiohead in. You may select multiple cities; however, if your registration is successful, you’ll only receive purchase access for one city.
Double-check your details are correct before submitting the registration, as you won’t be able to amend them later.
Notably, you can only register once – doubling up your registrations will not increase your chances of securing tickets. You will only be able to buy up to four tickets, and they can only be for one city.
Registration for accessibility tickets can be submitted via a different form. It will require the same details as above, as well as information about accessibility requirements, ticket quantity and any additional access needs or considerations.
Once you’ve registered, you must validate your email address by clicking the link in the email sent from Frontier Touring (this could take five to 10 minutes to land in your inbox; remember to check your spam and junk folders).
From 3pm on Friday, everyone who has registered will be emailed with the next steps. Not everyone who registers is guaranteed the opportunity to buy a ticket. Those selected will be determined randomly.
Those whose registration is unsuccessful will be automatically added to a waiting list for any future potential ticket releases for the Australian dates. Ticket release notifications can occur at any time before the show date.
From 7am on September 15, successful registrants will receive an email with a purchase link and unique unlock code. This code doesn’t guarantee you a ticket; it merely offers you a chance to purchase upon availability. Don’t share this code with others.
Before the purchase window opens, create or check your account with the relevant authorised ticketing agency. For Melbourne, the newly appointed authorised ticketing agency is AXS; and for Perth and Sydney, it’s Ticketek.
The “chance to purchase” window will open at 9am (local time to the venue). After waiting on a holding page or queue, a page will appear in which you’ll be able to enter your unique code. The purchasing window will remain open until 9am on September 17, or until tickets sell out. Accessibility tickets, meanwhile, will remain available until 5pm on September 28.
The way in which you purchase tickets may look slightly different depending on the city you’re in. In Melbourne, where AXS is used for the Rod Laver shows, each show date will have a separate queue, opening about 30 minutes before the purchase window. If your preferred date is sold out when you reach the front, refer to your confirmation email or text message for instructions on joining the queue for another date. In Perth and Sydney, where Ticketek is used, the Ticketek lounge will open one hour before the purchase window commencing for each city. Ticketek recommends joining 30 minutes before the purchase window opens.
Disable all VPNs or IP-masking tools, as you may otherwise be blocked. It’s also advised that you use one browser on one device, avoid multiple tabs and don’t refresh or close the browser.
If you successfully buy a ticket, it will be delivered digitally through the app of the relevant authorised ticketing agency.
Why is it being done this way?
Attempts to contact Frontier Touring, Radiohead’s tour promoter, were unsuccessful. However, according to the band’s website, the registration process was implemented to ensure fair access for fans, and to help stamp out bot competition and profiteering.
“Access to the Radiohead Australian ticket sale will be managed through a registration process to help give fans fair access to tickets and minimise automated and unauthorised purchases,” the band’s website reads.
The need to validate your email address after registering, for example, “is a security measure to help ensure as many fans as possible have access to tickets and reduces competition from bots and ticket touts”, the website states.
The strict cap on tickets was implemented to ensure as many fans can attend as possible, and to prevent some individuals from hoovering up mass amounts of tickets and then re-selling them for exorbitant prices.
What’s the pricing like?
Tickets range from $199 for standing general admission and seats from $139, up to $349 for the A-reserve section. These prices are consistent for all cities.
There will be a $2 charity donation included in the ticket price. This will go to Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Australian Marine Conservation Society, and will be subject to unavoidable taxes. Radiohead will match the total amount with their own donation.
Additional fees relating to the transaction, handling and delivery of tickets may be applied by the authorised ticketing agency.
In typical Radiohead fashion, the band poked fun at exorbitantly priced “premium” tickets by offering so-called “Fast Track Status” for a whopping $649. This, however, “doesn’t include any kind of status at all”.
“What were you expecting when you signed up for ‘Fast Track Status’ with Radiohead? Of course it doesn’t include fast track status. There is no Business Lounge either,” the band’s website reads.
“However, because you have signed up for ‘Fast Track Status’ (which does not include fast track status), you will be eligible for one of the most ergonomic and luxuriously appointed seats that the venue has to offer, as well as a complimentary receptacle of Very Exclusive Items designed by Stanley Donwood & Doktor Tchock, with their customary attention to irrelevance.”
The band ended the message with “we hope that you choke”, crossed out to instead read “we hope that you enjoy the show”.
Radiohead’s tickets appear reasonably priced, especially the $200 standing tickets. Other major artists, such as Ed Sheeran, offer “front general admission” for a higher price (usually around $250), but Radiohead has standardised all standing tickets. Given its tongue-in-cheek joke about “Fast Track Status”, the band appears to be pushing against the general ticket practices of major agencies around the world.
Has this been done before?
Several music festivals have carried out similar processes, including Meredith Music Festival, Golden Plains and Strawberry Fields. Many of these require pre-registration and ticket ballot systems before ticket purchasing windows open.
Some local live music venues, such as Sydney’s Phoenix Central Park, also require registration, largely due to the limited space available for the audience.
Elsewhere, Oasis fans had to complete pre-registration ballots with anti-bot screening questions ahead of the group’s Aussie tour late last year. However, that was just for access to the pre-sale.
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