Will The Who announce dates in 2025?

31 October 2024, 18:11

Pete Townshend has talked about what's next for the legendary band and whether he can see himself creating new music.

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The Who have been entertaining audiences for a whopping 60 years.

The band comprised of original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have released 12 albums, including an era-defining film soundtrack and a rock opera, and have toured across the world playing their biggest hits to crowds which span generations.

There's been plenty of talk of retirement over the years and even a 'farewell gig' played from time to time, but will The Who play dates in 2025 and what about new material?

Get the latest from the veteran musicians below.

Will The Who play dates in 2025?

It's looking pretty certain that The Who will take to the stage again next year. Speaking to The Standard recently, guitarist and chief songwriter Pete Townshend said that the My Generation legends would “do something next year”.

The 79-year-old musician also revealed that he'd met with frontman “met with Roger [Daltrey] for lunch a couple of weeks ago,” and that they’re in “good form”.

He went on: "We love each other. We’re both getting a bit creaky, but we will definitely do something next year."

Plus Townshend revealed the duo might be looking to do something much more rough around the edges when they take to the stage.

The guitarist revealed: "The last big tours that we’ve done have been with a full orchestra, which was glorious, but we’re now eager to make a noise and make a mess and make mistakes.”

Townshend also previously told NME that he believed The Who's story will only end when either he or Roger Daltry "drop dead or can’t function anymore on the stage”.

Ever the optimist, Townshend previously echoed these sentiments when he told The New York Times, that the ban probably have one "final" thing left to do before they "crawl off to die".

"It feels to me like there’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die," said the Substitute rocker. "I don’t get much of a buzz from performing with The Who. If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money. My idea of an ordinary lifestyle is pretty elevated."

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Will The Who release new music in 2025?

The outlook for this is far more bleak. The Who have only released two albums since It's Hard in 1982, with Endless Wire released in 2006, followed by WHO in 2019, but Townshend revealed that frontman Roger Daltrey isn't "keen" on making new music.

“The album side of it… Roger’s not keen. But I would love to do another album and I may try to bully him on that."

If it was ever soley down to Daltrey to release new music, then it's not looking good, with the singer telling NME last year: "What’s the point? What’s the point of records? We released an album four years ago, and it did nothing. It’s a great album too, but there isn’t the interest out there for new music these days.

"People want to hear the old music. I don’t know why, but that’s the fact."

The rocker was also recently asked about the fate of band and suggested that it's completely up to his bandmate, but he would be happy saying the chapter of his life was "over".

Asked when the Baba O'Riley rockers would return he told The Times back in April this year: "I can’t answer that. I don’t write the songs. I never did. We need to sit down and have a meeting, but at the moment I’m happy saying that part of my life is over."