Guns N' Roses split with drummer Frank Ferrer after 19 years
Guns N' Roses have announced that drummer Frank Ferrer is leaving the band after 19 years.
The band have had a total of six drummers over their 40-year existence. Steven Adler, who played on their 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction, was sacked in 1990 over his heroin addiction.
Ferrer's almost two decades behind the Guns N' Roses drumkit made him the band's longest-serving drummer.
In a statement shared on Instagram, the band announced that the 58-year-old New Yorker's departure was 'amicable.'
The statement continued: 'The band thanks Frank for his friendship, creativity and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey.
'Frank first joined GNR during a show in June 2006 helping anchor the rhythm section during subsequent tours, including their recent outings featuring the reunited trio of Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan. His last show with the band took place November 5, 2023 in Mexico.'
Ferrer replaced Bryan Mantia, also known as Brain, who was with the band from 2000 to 2006. Prior to that, the role was filled by Josh Freese, who is now a member of Foo Fighters, from 1997 to 2000.
Matt Sorum, who is also known for his work with Velvet Revolver, was the band's drummer from 1990 to 1997. The group's original drummer was Rob Gardner.
On X/Twitter, fans reacted to news of Ferrer's departure with an outpouring of praise.
'I had the pleasure of seeing Frank Ferrer play with Guns N' Roses multiple times and he's had the impossible job of blending eras and play styles,' wrote one. 'Here's hoping his next projects are just as awesome and GNR finds a great new drummer.'
Another added: '19 years with Guns N' Roses is a crazy stat and a huge accomplishment. He's been a part of some iconic shows during that time. All the best to Frank Ferrer.'
The band are set to embark on a world tour in May, with shows in Korea, Japan, Thailand and India kicking off a run that will conclude in Germany in July.
It has not yet been announced who will drum for those shows, although some fans online have called for Adler or Sorum to return.
The band's recent tours have seen them play huge shows around the world, although not always to critical acclaim. The Independent 's Mark Beaumont felt their performance at Glastonbury in 2023 was a 'frontrunner for the worst Glastonbury headline set of all time.'
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BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Glastonbury: Who are Patchwork and the festivals other secret stars?
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But generally we're able to piece all that together fairly quickly."He adds: "By the time the gates open, there aren't many things we don't know."In the past couple of years, some acts have begun harnessing the buzz about secret sets for PR purposes for their album or tour, Ad believes."It used to just be friends of the festival, whereas now people are like, 'If we do the secret set we're going to get loads of hype and media attention'." Ad was among the lucky few to see Lady Gaga play an after-hours set in Club Dada following her main appearance as her career was taking off in 2009."She did three or four hits and then disappeared," he recalls."Because the phone signal was so bad, you couldn't ring or text your mate to let them know. So only the people who happened to be there got to experience it, which was a few hundred."I'm surprised she hasn't come back. Yet."That was one of the more exclusive secret sets in Glastonbury history. 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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Billionaire owner's brutal put-down of racing sheikh in ongoing public feud
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Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
All the clues and theories about who Glastonbury's mystery Patchwork band is
Metro confirmed recently Patchwork – billed to perform at this year's Glastonbury Festival – is not a 'geriatric' band from South London of the same name… You're welcome. So the question remains: who the hell is it? For the uninitiated, the Glastonbury 2025 line-up with all the stage times dropped yesterday, three weeks before the Worthy Farm opens its gates for another year for headline shows by The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo. Listed in the primetime slot of 6.15pm on Saturday June 28 on the coveted Pyramid Stage – between global superstar Raye and John Fogerty – is a mysterious band no one has ever heard of called Patchwork. This is Glastonbury organisers' idea of a funny tease, which will end up being a famous band or musician's surprise set. The same happened in 2023 when The Churn Ups turned out to be The Foo Fighters, who rocked out on the Pyramid Stage in what was an undisputed festival highlight. But Patchwork is not just a random word: it's a riddle. 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Tenuous, but possible… Just like the Foo Fighters teased they were behind The Churn Ups mystery in June 2023 on their socials, Candida Doyle from Pulp mysteriously talked about her love of patchwork in a recent interview with Jo Whiley, which seems kinda' random. 'I used to do patchwork when I was on tour and I made a really nice bit of patchwork, that's all I can think of right now,' she said… While it seems Pulp are rumoured most years for a Glastonbury surprise set, this year does seem feasible, as the Common People hitmakers have returned with their eighth studio album, More, scheduled to be released on June 6. Before Patchwork was mentioned, US sisters Haim were rumoured to be heading for a secret set at Glastonbury this year, after BBC Radio star Lauren Laverne hinted as much in her BBC Radio show. With their fourth album I Quit dropping in June after Women in Music Pt. II was released five years ago, it seems like a good time for Haim to descend on Worthy Farm. The band has a long history with the festival, having first played in 2013, before slots in 2014, 2017 and 2022. 'They've got summer shows coming up, one is Dreamland Summer Series in Margate on June 27,' Lauren noted on BBC6 Music, before adding: 'What else is happening that weekend? It's a long way to come to go to Margate, not that Margate isn't great…' Now the Patchwork clue is out, fans have pointed to a book of the same name by a writer called Sylvia Haim. However, it seems a little bit of a stretch as they might not be enough of a big deal to warrant the Patchwork tease. But that doesn't mean they won't fill one of the other secret set slots, simply billed at the moment as TBA. Just as with Haim, actor Timothee Chalamet was rumoured to be performing a secret set of Bob Dylan songs before the Patchwork tease. After he wowed critics with his performance as music icon Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown, it was reported he is 'likely' to make a surprise appearance. However, this was not thought to be a Pyramid Stage outing, but one for the Acoustic Stage on the Saturday night. The Sun claimed he will appear alongside Dylan tribute band Not Completely Unknown. While that all seems likely, now Patchwork is teased, fans can't help but think of the Blowin' In The Wind hitmaker's famous patchwork jacket, which featured on the cover of his 1976 album, Desire. To add fuel to rumours, the Dune actor bought this very same patchwork jacket in March for over £20,000… While Oasis have said they will not be performing at Glastonbury this year, it would be a very Oasis thing to turn up for a surprise set anyway, wouldn't it? More Trending 'Despite media speculation, Oasis will not be playing Glastonbury 2025 or any other festivals next year,' the brothers said in October. After Noel and Liam Gallagher's years-long feud ended in a massive Oasis tour announcement last year, it's clear stranger things have happened. Where does Patchwork come into this, you may ask…? Well, they patched things up, didn't they? Yeah, okay. Perhaps wishful thinking has got the better of us. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Sir Rod Stewart, 80, cancels second concert over health 3 weeks before Glastonbury MORE: Harry Styles catches everyone's eyes as he strolls around London in teeny tiny shorts MORE: Glastonbury branded a 'ticking time bomb' in fresh warning from former executive
