Foo Fighters appoint Josh Freese as new drummer after Taylor Hawkins’ death | Ent & Arts News

Foo Fighters have announced that Josh Freese is the band’s new drummer following the death of Taylor Hawkins.

The rock band used a live stream, which was previewing their upcoming studio album, to announce the news to fans.

Freese has performed with the band in tribute concerts to Hawkins as part of a career which has also seen him play drums for Sting, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer and Guns N’ Roses.

The 50-year-old American, son of tuba soloist Stan Freese, was unveiled after singer Dave Grohl and the rest of the band teased his identity as part of their Preparing Music For Concerts live stream.

After appearances by Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tommy Lee of Motley Crue, Freese interrupted proceedings to ask from behind his drum kit if the band could “just, like, play a song”?

An eight-song set then included tracks from their eleventh album, But Here We Are, due for release in early June.

Freese’s next performance with the Foo Fighters will be in New Hampshire on Wednesday to launch a series of dates that will continue through the fall.

Hawkins, 50, had been touring South America with the rest of the band when he died in a hotel room in the Colombian capital, Bogota, in March 2022.

Hawkins had been with the band for 25 years.  photo: AP
Image:
Taylor Hawkins had been performing with the Foo Fighters for 25 years. photo: AP

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Hawkins joined Foo Fighters in 1997, taking the drumsticks behind former Nirvana drummer Grohl, after touring with Alanis Morissette.

Last September, the Foo Fighters put on two starry concerts in London and Los Angeles to raise money for charity in memory of their “beloved brother”.

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