Stereophonics announce UK arena tour for December

Stereophonics announce 2025 UK dates as new album Make ‘em Laugh, Make ‘em Cry, Make ‘em Wait hits No. 1

Hot on the heels of a mammoth summer that’s seen them play to over 500,000 fans across the UK and Europe, Stereophonics have announced a new run of UK arena dates for December 2025. The Welsh band – now firmly in their imperial phase, if not already national treasures – will hit eight UK arenas this winter before rounding things off at London’s O2. Tickets go on general sale at 09:30 on Friday 11 July, just hours before the band return to the stage for two sold-out homecoming gigs at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

The tour announcement arrives after a typically widescreen set at Finsbury Park last Friday, where the band reminded 45,000 punters exactly why they’ve endured: soaring choruses, stadium-calibrated melancholy, and the kind of no-nonsense showmanship that’s become their stock-in-trade. Earlier this month, they were also hailed as the standout act at the Isle of Wight Festival – with Rolling Stone praising their headline set as “the highlight of the night”, a sentiment echoed by the crowd of 55,000 who turned up to belt out the hits.

This flurry of live activity coincides with the release of Make ‘em Laugh, Make ‘em Cry, Make ‘em Wait, the band’s 13th studio album and their ninth to reach No. 1 on the Official Albums Chart – a rare milestone in a streaming era that rarely rewards longevity. The record, full of the introspective yet arena-ready hallmarks that have long defined their sound, reaffirms Stereophonics’ staying power. Kelly Jones remains a master of the bruised, brooding lyric; his voice – all gravel and gravitas – remains instantly recognisable, whether crooning a torch song or leading a festival-wide singalong.

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For a band once pigeonholed as lad-rock adjacent, Stereophonics have proved remarkably resilient. Their fanbase has not only stuck around but grown, with newer generations discovering them somewhere between their parents’ CD collections and Spotify algorithmic happenstance. That they’ve shared stages and column space with Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Dua Lipa speaks to a cross-generational appeal few acts manage to cultivate.

There’s something admirably unfashionable about Stereophonics’ refusal to reinvent themselves for the sake of it. Instead, they continue to refine what they do best: big songs for big crowds, delivered with a workmanlike charm that’s anything but cynical. As they gear up for another lap of the country’s largest arenas, they seem more comfortable than ever in their role as one of British rock’s most quietly consistent forces. No reinvention. No fuss. Just hit after hit, played loud and without apology.

Stereophonics: December 2025 UK arena tour | Ticketmaster UK