Megadeth have announced their first headlining UK tour since 2015.
The Grammy-winning US thrash metal veterans will return as part of their ongoing farewell tour, which kicked off with a run of North and Latin American shows earlier this year. Black Label Society and fellow thrashers Testament will support.
A Live Nation pre-sale starts at 9am local time on Thursday, August 6, and general sale commences at 10am on August 7. See the full list of confirmed shows below.
Formed by singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine in 1983, shortly after his expulsion from Metallica, Megadeth are one of the best-selling extreme metal bands in history, having sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. In 1992, their fifth album Countdown To Extinction reached number two on the US Billboard 200.
After picking up 11 nominations over the course of their career, the band finally won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017, with their single Dystopia. In 2023, their song We’ll Be Back was also Grammy-nominated, but lost to Degradation Rules by Ozzy Osbourne featuring Tony Iommi in the metal category.
42 years in, Megadeth announced their impending retirement last summer. Mustaine, their sole constant member, said he wanted to go out on his own terms and urged fans: “Don’t be mad, don’t be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years.”
It was later revealed that physical injuries also played a part in the band’s decision to split. In December, Mustaine, 64, announced that he had radial neuropathy, or ‘wrist drop’: a condition where the radial nerve is damaged, leading to weakness in the wrist and fingers. Mustaine said that the condition made it painful for him to play guitar.
Megadeth released their final studio album, a self-titled effort, via BLKIIBLK in January. It received mostly positive reviews, including four stars from Metal Hammer’s Dom Lawson, and was the band’s first US chart-topper. Its bonus track was a cover of Metallica’s Ride The Lightning: a song that Mustaine co-wrote but wasn’t released until 1984, after his dismissal from the lineup.
It’s rumoured that Megadeth are set to release a greatest hits album, Fast Hits, on August 21. Reports began after it was listed on the Walmart website and have been shared by multiple fans and news outlets. The band have not yet commented on the matter.
Megadeth’s last UK headline run took place in November 2015 and was capped off by a co-headline show at London’s Wembley Arena with Lamb Of God. Children Of Bodom and Sylosis supported.
Even though the band haven’t topped the bill on a UK tour since, they’ve been a regular presence on the country’s festival circuit, including headline performances at Derbyshire’s Bloodstock Open Air in 2017 and 2023. They also supported Five Finger Death Punch in arenas last autumn.
Megadeth: 2027 UK tour dates
Mar 11: London OVO Arena WembleyMar 12: Nottingham Motorpoint ArenaMar 13: Manchester Co-op LiveMar 15: Cardiff Utilita ArenaMar 16: Glasgow OVO HydroMar 16: Birmingham BP Pulse LiveMar 19: Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
