British electronic music pioneers Orbital have announced a major return in 2027, with their new studio album Other arriving on 19 March and an extensive UK and European tour beginning in Dublin on 8 April. The announcement comes more than three decades after brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll helped transform electronic dance music from an underground movement into a major live concert experience.
A new Orbital album exploring what it means to be different
Released through London Records on 19 March 2027, Other will be Orbital’s 11th studio album and their first since Optical Delusion in 2023.
The new record explores identity, neurodiversity and the experience of feeling outside society’s conventional categories.
Rather than restricting themselves to traditional dance music, the brothers are drawing on influences including gothic folk, drum and bass, punk and ambient music.
The album’s title reflects its central theme: people do not always fit comfortably into the labels and expectations placed upon them.
Paul Hartnoll has explained that the record is intended for those who have experienced feeling different or excluded, while his brother Phil offered a characteristically playful summary:
“We’re all individuals. Some of us are just a little more Other than others.”
The album therefore promises something beyond a straightforward collection of electronic dance tracks, although its full musical direction will only become clear when the record is released.
New single features Maxine Peake
The first track released from the forthcoming album is Mother, Maiden & Crone, featuring award-winning British actor Maxine Peake.
Drawing inspiration from witchcraft and folklore, the track combines dark electronic sounds with Peake’s distinctive vocal performance.
Released in October 2026, the single offers an early indication of the atmospheric and experimental direction the brothers are pursuing.
The collaboration also continues Orbital’s history of bringing together electronic music with unexpected voices, samples and influences.
The single is available through Orbital’s official Bandcamp page.
From underground raves to Glastonbury
Orbital’s story began during the explosion of British acid house culture at the end of the 1980s.
Named after London’s M25 orbital motorway, a route closely associated with journeys to early rave events, the group achieved its breakthrough with Chime in 1990.
The track became a Top 20 hit and helped introduce a wider audience to a growing underground electronic music scene.
Their self-titled debut album, commonly known as The Green Album, arrived in 1991. A second self-titled release, The Brown Album, followed in 1993.
Recordings including Belfast, Halcyon, Lush and The Box subsequently helped establish the Hartnoll brothers as leading figures in British electronic music.
However, their impact was not limited to recording studios.
Orbital were among the artists who demonstrated that electronic music could work as a major live performance, rather than simply providing a soundtrack for clubs.
Their celebrated appearance at Glastonbury in 1994 became a landmark moment, helping change perceptions of what electronic artists could achieve on a festival stage.
The performance remains an important part of the group’s history, with an official recording, Glastonbury 1994, released in September 2026.
More than 35 years of electronic music
Despite periods apart and several reunions, the Hartnoll brothers have continued recording and performing across multiple decades.
Their 2023 album Optical Delusion reached number six on the UK Albums Chart and topped the Official Dance Albums Chart.
More recently, the band revisited its early catalogue with anniversary releases and live performances celebrating The Green Album and The Brown Album.
The familiar illuminated glasses worn by the brothers have also become one of electronic music’s most recognisable stage images.
Their 2027 tour is an opportunity to introduce new material while reconnecting with audiences who have followed the group since the early days of British rave culture.
Orbital 2027 tour dates and venues
The Other Tour begins on 8 April 2027 in Dublin, with 18 confirmed performances across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 8 April 2027 | Dublin | 3Olympia Theatre |
| 9 April 2027 | Limerick | Dolans |
| 10 April 2027 | Belfast | Limelight 1 |
| 13 April 2027 | Northampton | Roadmender |
| 14 April 2027 | Liverpool | O2 Academy 1 |
| 15 April 2027 | Glasgow | Barrowland Ballroom |
| 16 April 2027 | Nottingham | Rock City |
| 17 April 2027 | Manchester | Manchester Academy 1 |
| 20 April 2027 | Cardiff | Tramshed |
| 21 April 2027 | Frome | Cheese & Grain |
| 22 April 2027 | Birmingham | O2 Institute |
| 23 April 2027 | Bournemouth | O2 Academy |
| 24 April 2027 | London | British Airways ARC |
| 29 April 2027 | Amsterdam | Gashouder |
| 30 April 2027 | Paris | Le Bataclan |
| 1 May 2027 | Brussels | Ancienne Belgique |
| 3 May 2027 | Berlin | Festsaal Kreuzberg |
| 4 May 2027 | Copenhagen | Store Vega |
The announced itinerary concludes in Copenhagen on 4 May 2027.
Dates and venues are subject to change. Fans should check official listings before making travel arrangements.
When do Orbital 2027 tickets go on sale?
General ticket sales opened at 10am on Friday 23 October 2026, following presales earlier in the week.
Tickets are being sold through the official ticketing providers linked from Orbital’s website, with prices and availability varying by venue.
Fans can find booking links for individual concerts on the official Orbital live dates page.
The band also offered a limited tour edition of Other, with individually marked alternative artwork, during the presale period. That early-access offer ended on 22 October. As of 23 October 2026, the exclusive Tour Edition is listed as sold out by the official Orbital music store.
A new chapter for one of Britain’s most influential electronic acts
More than 35 years after Chime helped introduce Orbital to a national audience, the group remains active at a time when electronic music has become an established part of mainstream festival and concert culture.
With Other, the brothers are preparing to revisit their experimental roots while exploring themes of identity, difference and belonging.
The album arrives on 19 March 2027, followed by The Other Tour beginning on 8 April 2027.
For listeners who discovered Orbital through the rave movement of the 1990s, and for those encountering their music for the first time, the forthcoming album and tour mark another chapter in the Hartnoll brothers’ long-running musical partnership.
Image credits: © Fish 4 News. The featured and in-article images are digitally edited from Orbital concert photography at Southampton Guildhall in April 2024.
