’90s Britpop act Rialto makes its long-awaited China debut with a reunion tour over two decades in the making. The band, which formed in 1997 and was broken up by 2001, scored big with audiences and critics with their sleeper hit Untouchable, which mined the band’s fascination with films, soundtracks, and more with lush bittersweet swagger. While frontman Louis Elliot kept busy over the intervening years, it wasn’t till the early 2020s that he decided to get the band back together and put out a new album, Neon & Ghost Signs, and hit the road again. Indulge in a bit of music history and take in one of the Britpop scene’s most underrated acts.

Imagine rewinding the clock 27 years to 1998—London’s buzzing with pre-weekend energy, and if you asked someone what new band they were into, chances are they’d say Rialto. Back then, they were the hot new thing, riding high off their self-titled debut album and a breakout single, Untouchable, which cracked the UK Top 20.

Music critics loved them. Neil McCormick called them the most promising band of the late ’90s. But just as fast as they arrived, they were gone—splitting up after their second album in 2001. A lot of fans only discovered them after they’d already disbanded. Over the years, they became a bit of a cult legend—mentioned wistfully over drinks by people who still had the CD lying around. But now, in 2025—24 years later—they’re back. Rialto has reunited and just dropped a brand-new full-length album, Neon & Ghost Signs—a record all about light: the kind that lights the way forward, and the kind that shines back on all the things you thought you’d left behind.

The band first came together in 1997, a mix of musicians from Kinky Machine and a few close friends. They got signed, dropped, signed again, and somehow still managed to release a stunning debut that had the UK music press falling over themselves. Even if the UK charts didn’t fully get it, Asia sure did—Rialto topped charts across the region and even outsold My Heart Will Go On in South Korea. No joke.

Frontman Louis Elliot stayed busy over the years—writing award-winning songs for pop stars, releasing solo work, and even launching his own music festival in Cornwall. A few years back, after a near-death health scare in Spain, Elliot had a wake-up call. He ditched an old relationship, dove headfirst into London's nightlife, and realized that some of the most powerful songs he’d ever written were calling him back. The result? A brand-new album and a proper reunion.

And now, Rialto’s coming to China—for the very first time. It’s part nostalgia, part redemption, and all heart.