People ask Steven Wilson why he thinks Coldplay are wankers. Now he finally has an answer

Steven Wilson has clarified his answer to a question that's plagued him for the best part of two decades: Does he really think Coldplay are wankers?

The Porcupine Tree man took to social media to explain the history of the long-running saga. And what a saga it is.

"Way back in 2006 Porcupine Tree were playing a show somewhere in the United States - I forget exactly where - when someone in the audience passed me up a piece of paper with the words 'Coldplay are Wankers' written on it," writes Wilson. "Now I kinda liked Coldplay (still do), so I was nonplussed and held up the sign to ask the author something along the lines of why had they written such an incorrect and inappropriate statement?

"Unfortunately for me someone else took a photo of me at the exact moment of holding up the sign, and it got uploaded to the internet and went viral, with everyone attributing the sentiment of what was written there to me (but think about it, even if I did think that why would I write it down and hold up a sign?!) I still to this day get asked in interviews about my legendary hatred of Coldplay.

"If you yourself doubt the worth of Coldplay, all I’ll say is check out the utterly sublime 10-minute track Coloratura from their 2021 album Music of the Spheres , and you can thank me later."

Coloratura was described on its release as "pretty good" by Louder.

Last month Wilson announced his first solo tour in six years , ahead of the release of his eighth studio album, The Overview. The Overview Tour will commence on May 1 at The Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden and wrap up at the Riviera in Madrid, Spain, on June 13, and include eight UK shows. Tickets are on sale now .

“The Overview Tour will be an audio-visual experience based around a forthcoming new release of the same name: a space-themed album that features just two very long pieces," says Wilson. "I’ll also be playing music from The Harmony Codex for the first time as well as songs from all of my previous records. I’m incredibly happy to be performing again with my inspirational solo band, and we have a lot of lost time to make up."

Steven Wilson The Overvew Tour 2025

May 01: Stockholm Cirkus, Sweden
May 02: Olso Konserthaus, Norway
May 04: Copenhagen KB-Hallen, Denmark
May 06: Dusseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Hall, Germany
May 07: Brussels Cirque Royal, Belgium
May 09: Birmingham Symphony Hall, UK
May 10: Bristol Beacon, UK
May 12: London Palladium, UK
May 13: London Palladium, UK
May 15: Newcastle O2 City Hall, UK
May 16: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. UK
May 18: Manchester The Lowry, UK
May 19: London Palladium, UK
May 22: Amsterdam AFAS Live, Netherlands
May 24: Paris Salle Pleyel, France
May 25: Paris Salle Pleyel, France
May 28: Lyon Bourse Du Travail, France
May 30: Stuttgart Porshe Arena, Germany
May 31: Munich Zenith, Germany
Jun 02: Berlin Friedrichspalast, Germany
Jun 03: Hamburg Sporthalle, Germany
Jun 04: Warsaw Torwar, Poland
Jun 05: Gliwice Prezero, Poland
Jun 07: Milan Teatro Degli Archimboldi, Italy
Jun 08: Rome Auditorium Parco Della Musica, Italy
Jun 10: Zurich The Hall, Switzerland
Jun 11: Marseille Cepax Silo, France
Jun 12: Barcelona Para-Lel 62, Spain
Jun 13: Madrid Riviera, Spain