Ever since Foo Fighters announced their intentions to continue as a band following the tragic passing of drummer, Taylor Hawkins, one question has remained unaddressed: who will be playing drums in the regrouped line-up?
Months of speculation has resulted in rumours of multiple strong candidates taking on the role - Rufus Taylor (The Darkness); Atom Willard (Rocket From The Crypt, Angels and Airwaves); Jorma Vik (Eagles of Death Metal, The Bronx) are just three drummers who have been tipped for the hotseat.
However, one name that has been a constant throughout is Josh Freese, who’s drummed for everyone from Sting to Michael Bublé (so many, in fact, that he even forgot some of the records he's played on).
Freese, a veteran session drummer who has also played with rock heavyweights including Nine Inch Nails, Evanescence, was also a founding member of A Perfect Circle and counts Devo and The Vandals amongst his regular gigs.
During both the London and LA Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts last year, Freese put in some heroic performances, teaming-up with Justin Hawkins, Dave Grohl and Wolfgang Van Halen on Van Halen covers, Hot For Teacher, On Fire and Panama, as well as joining Foo Fighters for a number of their original songs. For many (including us), this immediately cemented Freese’s position as a front-runner, if-and-when the band announced their future plans.
Now, just hours before Foo Fighters will stream Preparing Music For Concerts — a free-to-watch live performance captured at the band’s Studio 606 where the identity of who will be playing drums is set to be revealed — Paiste cymbals (the brand Freese plays) has taken to social media with a teaser that more or less confirms the news.
“Who is the new Foo Fighters drummer? Find out May 21 12:00 noon PST.” says the post, plugging a link to watch the event via Veeps. Crucially, though, is the accompanying picture which shows an intentionally blurred shot of what looks like an orange/copper kit in Freese’s often-used one-up/two-down configuration.
Despite the blur, the lugs clearly resemble DW’s distinctive Turret design, and this being Paiste’s post, we don’t need to see the cymbals to know what brand they are.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Josh Freese is now a full-time Foo Fighter, or that he has contributed to the band’s new music, however we’re expecting to see Freese feature on the streamed event later today, and most likely the band’s packed schedule for the rest of 2023.
Foo Fighters: Preparing music For Concerts will air today at 20:00 BST, 12:00 PST and 15:00 EST. To tune in, click here.
