Alt-J are preparing to end a long headline silence in the UK. The trio have scheduled the Then Again Tour for the summer of 2027, marking their first domestic headline run in five years. Bringing the three members back together for some of their most expansive British venues, the dates break a quiet spell that has kept them away from standard home-country tour routes since 2022.
The itinerary is tightly focused, concentrating on four primary locations across England and Wales rather than moving through standard indoor theatres. The schedule opens in the north on July 2 with an outdoor headline performance at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl. The group then head south to London for an arena show at The O2 on July 14, followed by two dates in historic open-air settings: The Piece Hall in Halifax on July 17, and Cardiff Castle on July 18. The routing pairs large-scale courtyard and castle environments with a lone indoor arena appearance.
News of the tour reached fans directly via the group's social media channels. In their post, the musicians acknowledged that they had stayed quiet for an extended stretch, announcing that their break was now complete. They shared that they would return next year to perform in several places, adding that they genuinely could not wait to get started. Ticket sales will follow a two-stage release. A pre-sale begins at 10am GMT on Wednesday, November 18, followed by the general public sale at 10am GMT on Friday, November 20.
Official information for the tour indicates that the performances will pull from all four of the band's studio albums. That body of work runs from their debut record up through their fourth full-length release, The Dream. That album arrived just ahead of their 2022 UK and Ireland tour, which featured multiple headline nights at London's O2 Academy Brixton. Those Brixton concerts included a dedicated performance of their debut album, An Awesome Wave, a record that secured both an Ivor Novello Award and the Mercury Prize following its arrival.
Since that 2022 domestic tour, the band have rarely appeared together on stage. They maintained a presence during the summer of 2023 with UK festival sets at Glastonbury and Portsmouth's Victorious Festival, before traveling abroad for an autumn North American run dedicated to the tenth anniversary of An Awesome Wave. After closing out that tour in late 2023, the members stepped away from joint live activity to pursue independent musical efforts.
Frontman Joe Newman used that hiatus to write and record under the alias JJerome87. His debut solo collection, The Canyon, featured the single Brush Me Like A Horse. In describing that material, Newman pointed to roots in soul, Americana, and Motown, while noting that his songwriting maintained the doom-laden tone and odd quirkiness familiar to listeners of his main project.
The 2027 appearances will reunite the trio on a concert stage for the first time since their late 2023 North American tour concluded. By moving away from multi-night club residencies and stepping into castles, stone courtyards, and a major arena, the Then Again Tour provides a comprehensive survey of their four studio albums, bringing an end to their extended time off the British road.
