Foo Fighters announce new drummer after death of Taylor Hawkins

Josh Freese has been declared as Foo Fighters’ new drummer following the death of Taylor Hawkins last year.

The news was announced during the Foo Fighters: Preparing Music for Concerts livestream that previewed the group’s 11th studio album, But Here We Are, on Sunday (21 May).

Freese is an American session drummer. He is the son of tuba soloist Stan Freese and the older brother of musician Jason Freese.

The 50-year-old has previously played drums for Guns N’ Roses, Sting, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer and Sublime with Rome, among others.

Freese also performed with Foo Fighters for the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts in 2022 and is now set to join the band as Hawkins’ touring replacement this year.

Last week, Foo Fighters revealed that they’re dedicating their new album But Here We Are to Hawkins and Dave Grohl’s mother Virginia.

The album, which is set to be released on 2 June, will be the band’s first album since Hawkins’ death.

Hawkins was declared dead at a hotel in Colombia after paramedics battled to revive him. Before his death, he had been suffering from “chest pain”.

Grohl, the band’s frontman, lost his mother in the summer of 2022.

The band has described the new album as “a brutally honest and emotionally raw response” to everything they have experienced in the last year.

Foo Fighters are embarking on a tour this summer with their first couple of shows in New Hampshire, Boston Calling Music Festival, and Sonic Temple Arts & Music Festival in Ohio.

The group is set to perform in the UK next month.