Pete Townshend has hinted at new music from The Who, and the band’s frontman Roger Daltrey has announced a solo tour.
READ MORE: Pete Townshend tells us about his new Quadrophenia ballet and the future of The Who
Rumours of new music from the rock giants follow on from the guitarist recently signing a deal with Primary Wave, an agreement that will see them work together on “the exploitation of his name, image, and likeness and the development and exploitation of future creative projects” (via Far Out).
Outlets including Variety have speculated that the deal involved a nine-figure sum, and Primary Wave have said they believe the potential when it comes to “branding and content opportunities” is “boundless”.
They also added that they are working with the guitarist to “establish a footprint across social media channels”, and Townshend has said that the deal is both “a joy for me” and will help him move “forward with my creative and performative work”.
“Their entire team exhibit an energy that is truly stimulating. Challenging too. I need that,” he said. “I write songs, stories and poetry, and even draw and paint almost every day of my life. I work with musicians and other creatives, and spend a lot of my time building charitable solutions for organisations that help young creative people grow and succeed in this very hard time. Music is my main medium.”
In his statement, Townshend also added that there could be more to come from The Who – despite them playing their final-ever live shows last year.
Just Announced: PETE TOWNSHEND, AWARD WINNING CO-FOUNDER OF LEGENDARY ROCK BAND THE WHO, PARTNERS WITH PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC
Read More: https://t.co/7QDbQyWmrI pic.twitter.com/bewttVwiPZ
— Primary Wave (@primarywave) May 14, 2026
“Then there is Roger [Daltrey] and all my friends and colleagues in and around The Who. We are always trying to come up with SOMETHING special, and God Willing will continue to do that, hoping one day we can astound you the way we used to,” the guitarist shared.
It isn’t clear what exactly the band may have planned, although the hopes of more news from them has been circulating since the guitarist told fans at the final show of their 2025 farewell tour that he was “sure we’ll get up to all kinds of mischief” and will continue to “do stuff together”.
The updates from Townshend arrive as Who frontman Roger Daltrey has confirmed a new solo tour.
Shows will take place across the US later this year, and see him play a range of material from his extensive back catalogue. The stint follows on from his semi-acoustic solo dates – which took place the year before The Who’s Farewell tour – and has been dubbed ‘A Great Night Out’.
Joining him will be guitarists Simon Townshend and Doug Boyle, mandolin player Billy Nicholls, percussionist Jody Linscott, bassist John Hogg and more.
Dates kick off August 23 at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, AZ, and run through September – including a rare Daltrey performance at New York City’s The Town Hall on September 27.
The Who in Amsterdam, photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot pic.twitter.com/Zh04VttvpU
— The Who (@TheWho) May 9, 2026
“Well it’s one more for the road. After finishing The Who’s final tour of the US, it’s time for me as a solo artist to possibly do the same,” the singer said, hinting that it could be his final live shows. “After touring solo with different bands of musicians years, a less grueling life becomes more attractive, I’ll see.”
He continued: “With my present line up of nine musicians, I have this opportunity to see your beautiful country and enjoy the hospitality you have shown me over so many years. I’ll be off the backing tracks and always searching for different soundscapes to present the songs. It’s a lot of fun and gives me the chance to have a ‘Great Night Out’.”
Tickets are on sale now, find yours here.
Roger Daltrey’s 2026 solo tour dates are:
AUGUST
23 – Mesa Arts Center / Mesa, AZ*
24 – Yaamava’ Theater / Highland, CA
26 – Encore Theater / Las Vegas, NV
28 – Encore Theater / Las Vegas, NV
29 – Encore Theater / Las Vegas, NV
SEPTEMBER
1 – Lobero Theatre / Santa Barbara, CA^
2 – The Mountain Winery / Saratoga, CA
4 – Luther Burbank Center for the Arts / Santa Rosa, CA^
5 – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort / Reno, NV
9 – Ryman Auditorium / Nashville, TN
11 – Four Winds Casino / New Buffalo, MI
12 – New Lenox Performing Arts Pavillion / New Lenox, IL
15 – The Riverside Theater / Milwaukee, WI
17 – Artpark / Lewiston, NY
20 – The Big E (outdoor) / Springfield, MA
22 – The Capitol Theatre / Port Chester, NY
24 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor / Washington, DC
25 – Parx Xcite Center / Bensalem, PA
27 – The Town Hall / New York, NY
29 – Chevalier Theatre / Medford, MA
No new music or live shows have been announced for The Who at time of writing, and the band haven’t dropped an album since 2019’s ‘WHO’. That marked their first record in 13 years, and their second full LP since 1982.
Last year, Townshend reflected on the band coming to an end and revealed that he and Daltrey “don’t communicate very well” and “have different needs as performers”. The musician also said the group felt more like “a Who tribute band” now.
Before then, The Who confirmed that they would still be coming together in the future for the occasional charity gig or one-off event, and Townshend also opened up about the strain of being on the road for extensive touring schedules, saying he was mentally done with the idea as it “doesn’t fill my soul.”
In his time away from The Who, Townshend has launched the Quadrophenia: A Rock Ballet on Broadway show, and also hinted that he was looking to revisit his own music with the help of AI.
The guitarist spoke to NME about the possibility of more new music around the time of the rock ballet heading to Broadway too, and said: “I don’t think there is. If there was a need or a place for a Who album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I fucking could, it’s a piece of cake. The problem is, I don’t think Roger wants to do it again.”
When NME asked the frontman about the possibility of a new LP in 2023, he laughed: “What’s the point? What’s the point of records? We released an album four years ago [2019’s ‘WHO’], 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.”
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