Steven Wilson says he never called Coldplay “wankers”

Steven Wilson has put the almost two-decade-old myth that he called Coldplay “wankers” to bed.

Today, (July 17), the Porcupine Tree singer and multi-instrumentalist has finally addressed the infamous image of him holding up a sign that reads “Coldplay are wankers”. Taken at a US Porcupine Tree show in 2006, the photo went viral, and for years fans have taken it as official confirmation of Wilson’s stance on Coldplay.

Now, Wilson has taken to Instagram to quash the rumours once and for all, admitting that he was actually a fan of Coldplay at the time, and continues to listen to their music today.

Wilson shared that the sign had been passed to him by a member of the audience, writing: “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.”

He continued: “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.”

Wilson shared that, despite the photo being taken 18 years ago, its legacy lives on and has haunted him for years. “I still to this day get asked in interviews about my legendary hatred of Coldplay,” he wrote.

It turns out, though, he’s still a fan. He encouraged any followers still in doubt to check out the “utterly sublime” track ‘Coloratura’ from Coldplay’s 2021 album ‘Music Of The Spheres‘, writing: “you can thank me later…”

Last month, Wilson announced a 2025 UK and EU tour. Tickets are now on sale and you can get yours here.

The European leg will kick off at Cirkus in Stockholm on May 1, before making stops in Oslo, Dusseldorf, Brussels and more.

The UK leg will then begin on May 10 with a show at Beacon in Bristol, which will be followed by two nights at the London Palladium on May 12 and 13. From there, Wilson will make stops in Newcastle, Glasgow and Salford before returning to mainland Europe.

The upcoming shows will mark Wilson’s first full band, solo shows since 2018, when he performed a 145-date tour in 30 countries following the release of his 2017 album ‘To The Bone’.

Steve Wilson’s 2025 UK and European ‘The Overview Tour’ dates are:

MAY
1 – Cirkus, Stockholm (Sweden)
2 – Konserthaus, Oslo (Norway)       
4 – KB-Hallen, Copenhagen (Denmark)
6 – Mitsubishi Electric Hall, Dusseldorf (Germany)
7 – Cirque Royal, Brussels (Belgium)
9 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham(UK
10 – Beacon, Bristol (UK)
12 – Palladium, London(UK)
13 – Palladium, London (UK)
15 – O2 City Hall, Newcastle (UK)
16 – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (UK)
18 – The Lowry, Salford (UK)
22 – AFAS Live, Amsterdam (Holland)
24 – Salle Pleyel, Paris (France)
25 – Salle Pleyel, Paris (France)
28 – Bourse Du Travail, Lyon (France)
30 – Porshe Arena, Stuttgart (Germany)
31 – Zenith, Munich (Germany)

JUNE
2 – Friedrichspalast, Berlin (Germany)
3 – Sporthalle, Hamburg (Germany)
4 – Torwar, Warsaw (Poland)
5 – Prezero, Gliwice (Poland)
7 – Teatro Degli Archimboldi, Milan (Italy)
8 – Auditorium Parco Della Musica, Rome (Italy)
10 – The Hall, Zurich (Switzerland)
11 – Cepac Silo, Marseille (France)
12 – Para-Lel 62, Barcelona (Spain)
13 – Riviera, Madrid (Spain)

Wilson released his seventh solo album, ‘The Harmony Codex’, last year, following the reunion tour of his ’90s-formed band Porcupine Tree, who went on hiatus in 2010. He released his first full-length studio album ‘Insurgentes’ the year prior.

Speaking to NME about the reunion last year, Wilson said: “I really enjoyed it. It was fun and joyous to get back with the guys without the pressure of feeling like it was my day-job. ‘The Harmony Codex’ was already in the can and I knew this was my main focus going forward.”