Aussie pop giants revealed as latest big name headliner at Cardiff Castle

The latest big name headliner for the Depot Live at Cardiff Castle shows this summer has been announced.

Australian electronic luminaries Empire of the Sun will head to the Welsh capital this summer as part of their 2026 Ask That God Tour.

The tour marks a return to Europe and the UK for the multi-platinum duo as they invite audiences to witness their legendary live performances across more than 20 dates.

They headline TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle on Tuesday June 23 as one of only three UK dates.

Empire of The Sun’s upcoming run will see them revisit countries from their hotly anticipated 2025 European tour – their first shows in the region in six years – and bring the show for the first time to Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Denmark and more.

With a discography spanning four critically acclaimed studio albums, billions of streams, and major remixes and reimaginings – including their recent Alive (Reimagined) EP – Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore consistently push sonic boundaries and have built a world around the project that is all their own.

Their highly anticipated 2024 album Ask That God signalled a new era for the duo, arriving as their first album in eight years and blending existential themes with their quintessential imaginative and nostalgia-tinged synth-pop sound. Featuring fan favourites Changes, Cherry Blossom, and Music On The Radio, Ask That God has garnered more than 500 million global streams and enchanted listeners and live audiences around the world.

Empire of the Sun’s ever-captivating live shows rest on the fringe of fantasy and reality, shepherding audiences into a kaleidoscopic world of spectacular visuals, theatrical performance, and larger-than-life production.

The band’s Ask That God Tour 2025 became a landmark global run, selling out headline shows across North America and Europe while showcasing the band’s most ambitious live production to date.

Playing beloved classics like Walking On A Dream, We Are The People, Alive, and High and Low, as well as tracks from Ask That God, Empire of the Sun’s upcoming European tour promises fans an immersive and unforgettable live experience.

Empire of the Sun join Hollywood Vampires, Self Esteem, Jimmy Eat World, Bowling For Soup, Katy Perry, Garbage and Skunk Anansie, Richard Ashcroft, Sex Pistols, MIKA, Two Door Cinema Club and Ethel Cain among the headline announcements already revealed for TK Maxx presents DEPOT Live at Cardiff Castle 2026 which is presented by promoters DEPOT Live and Cuffe and Taylor.

DEPOT Live founder Nick Saunders said: “This is a very exciting show to bring to Cardiff. Empire of the Sun present an incredible show that is the stuff of legend so we can’t wait to see this unfold beneath the shadow of Cardiff Castle.

“Expect to be blown away by this one!”

Pre-sale tickets are available at 10am Thursday January via www.depotlive.co.uk/empireofthesun and all tickets go on general sale at 10am Friday January via depotlive.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk  

For more information visit depotlive.co.uk    

TK MAXX PRESENTS DEPOT LIVE AT CARDIFF CASTLE 2026  
JUN 11 Pete Tong Ibiza Classics
JUN 12 MIKA + The Feeling + Gwenno
JUN 19 Ethel Cain
JUN 22 Garbage & Skunk Anansie
JUN 23 Empire of the Sun
JUN 25 McFLY+ Twin Atlantic + Remember Monday
JUN 27 Blackbird Festival – Alter Bridge + Skindred + BUSH + Florence Black + Cardinal Black
JUN 30 Katy Perry
JUL 4 Bowling For Soup & Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls
JUL 9 Billy Ocean + Marti Pellow 
JUL 10 Bastille + Arthur Hill + Carpetman
JUL 11 David Gray + The Divine Comedy 
JUL 16 Richard Ashcroft + Tom Meighan + Apollo Junction
JUL 18 Sammy Virji
JUL 24 Self Esteem + Kae Tempest
JUL 25 The Wombats
JUL 31 The Streets
AUG 1 Sex Pistols + The Stranglers + The Undertones + Panic Shack
AUG 2 Two Door Cinema Club + Friendly Fires + 3LIJAH 
AUG 14 Hollywood Vampires + The Damned
AUG 15 Jimmy Eat World + Rise Against + The Get Up Kids + Jay Som