Josh Homme calls Dave Grohl his “brother” and offers update on new Queens of the Stone Age music
Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme has offered an update on new music from the desert rock legends and reflected on his relationship with his “brother” Dave Grohl.
The band were formed by former Kyuss guitarist Homme in 1996, who remains their only constant member. They released their eighth studio album, In Times New Roman… in June 2023, which arrived a long six years after their previous effort, 2017’s Villains. It was an acclaimed addition to their oeuvre.
On an appearance on Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett’s Dish podcast (via Music News), Homme updated fans on the status of new QOTSA music. He maintained that he is going to “roll up [his] sleeves” because there was “too much” of a gap between their last two efforts.
“There was too much time in between the last record and this one,” Homme said. “The goal is to make things and enjoy that process and so I’m going to roll up my sleeves and jump right into this.” This latest update emerges after the band teased they have “some aces in some sleeves” in June, but were taking a “little break” before taking any action.
Elsewhere in the discussion, Homme reflected on Grohl’s impact on his career, the Foo Fighters leader and former Nirvana member, who played drums on QOTSA’s widely influential third album, 2002’s Songs for the Deaf. He was one of his group’s earliest and most prominent supporters.
“No one has done more for me in my career than Dave, as a mouthpiece of just telling people, ‘You gotta hear this guy,’ than Dave has,” he said. “He definitely told the world about me and my vast and endless well of talent, and he’s just always been like a brother.”
In late 2023, Homme celebrated Grohl once more, describing their kinship as one of the “longest romances” he’s experienced. He celebrated the drummer’s good nature, as well as his “dark side”.
Homme’s comments on Dish came before QOTSA cancelled a set of dates on their current European tour due to the frontman needing “emergency surgery”. After headlining Download and Rock AM Ring, they were to continue their jaunt until late August, but at the start of July were forced to cancel the rest of their shows for the month.
Shows affected include the Sohoda Festival in Slovakia, Greece’s Athens Rocks, and a duo of shows in Zagreb, Croatia. Homme’s band have also halted concerts in Germany, France, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic.
Taking to social media to share the sad news, the group apologised for any inconvenience, writing: “QOTSA regret to announce that Josh Homme must return to the United States immediately for emergency surgery. Every effort was madeto push through and play for you, but it is no longer an option to continue.”
At this stage, there has been no further news on Homme’s surgery or the specifics of his situation. However, they are still scheduled to resume their European tour on August 8th at Sweden’s Way Out West Festival.
The news of Homme’s surgery follows from his announcement last year that he’d received the all-clear from his 2022 cancer diagnosis.
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