Foo Fighters return with first song since Dave Grohl's affair as he pens emotional letter to fans
They surprised fans yesterday by releasing Today's Song, which is full of optimism about change in the future and personal evolution for the band.
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But it is the first we've heard from married frontman Dave Grohl since he shocked fans last September by revealing he had fathered a daughter with another woman.
It seems he has patched things up with his actress wife of 22 years, Jordyn Blum, after they were pictured together at Wimbledon yesterday.
At the same time as the song dropped, Dave released a letter talking about Foo Fighters.
After writing about how the band formed during Thanksgiving in 1994, he explained: 'Over the years, we've had moments of unbridled joy, and moments of devastating heartbreak. Moments of beautiful victory, and moments of painful defeat.
'We have mended broken bones and broken hearts.
'But we have followed this road together, with each other, for each other, no matter what.
Anthemic vocals
'Because in life, you just can't go it alone.'
The track opens with Dave singing: 'I woke today screaming for change, I knew that I must.
'So, here lies a shadow, ashes to ashes, dust into dust.
'You know that nothing can prepare you. Don't let this cruel world compare you.'
It features crashing percussion and anthemic vocals which are sure to delight fans, although he did not reveal who is playing the drums on the track.
In his letter, Dave paid tribute to original drummer William Goldsmith, former guitarist Franz Stahl and their most recent drummer Josh Freese before honouring Taylor Hawkins — who played drums for the band from 1997 until his death from a drug overdose in Colombia in 2022.
Dave wrote: 'Your name is spoken every day, sometimes with tears, sometimes with a smile.
'But you are still in everything we do, everywhere we go, forever.
'The enormity of your beautiful soul is only rivalled by the infinite longing we feel in your absence.
'We all miss you beyond words.
'Foo Fighters will forever include Taylor Hawkins in every note that we play, until we do finally reach our destination.' Hear hear.
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KERRY KEEN TO SLAY 'EM
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BEFORE Cardiff is overrun with Oasis fans, thrash metallers will today descend on Blackweir Fields for the first of Slayer's three huge shows in the UK.
And guitarist Kerry King, who will also perform at Ozzy Osbourne 's Back To The Beginning show in Birmingham on Saturday, before Slayer play Finsbury Park the following night, tells me the band will be hitting the bottle once the shows end.
'I turned 60 last year, but I still have a good time,' Kerry says, in an exclusive chat.
'I still don't drink before I play because I feel like I owe the fans the best they can see. There's no fun until after the show.
'There's still vodka on the rider, there's still tequila, there's still Jagermeister and there's still beer.
'But it's not anybody's mission to drink it all that night like maybe it used to be.'
Kerry is looking forward to the band's shows as he says there is something special about British fans.
He explains: 'I'm not saying it doesn't happen in America, but the UK crowd – it's going to be a frenzy, like, controlled chaos.'
Kerry has been sworn to secrecy by Sharon Osbourne about what Black Sabbath song Slayer will perform on Saturday, but he says he would have moved heaven and earth to make Ozzy's final show.
'To be part of that line-up with some of the greatest bands ever in hard rock and metal, it's surreal,' Kerry says.
'I'm excited to see what Metallica does, what Pantera does, what Lzzy Hale does.
'I'm looking forward to Alice In Chains and I know K.K. Downing is doing something.
'I'll be fully engaged as a fan right up until it's time for me to warm up and go on the stage.'
Since their debut in 1981, Slayer have become one of the most influential thrash metal groups on the planet.
But their decision to push boundaries with their lyrics and album art – which has covered everything from serial killers, religion and terrorism to fascism – has seen some of their albums banned in certain countries.
While Slayer have confirmed they won't be releasing new material, Kerry has been hard at work on the follow-up to his first solo record, From Hell I Rise, which came out last year.
And he admits the changing nature of the world, and how easily people are offended now, does affect the way he writes.
Kerry explains: 'All I can speak of is in America, because that's where I live and what I know, and it seems like every day the government tries to take away things. What was OK to say five years ago, now it's not. Freedom of speech has changed over the past few years.
'When I write my new album, I'm not sure what I'm going to try to address because I'm not sure what they're going to try to take me to jail for.'
DUA'S HOL LOTTA LOVE
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DUA LIPA has jetted off on yet another holiday with fiancé Callum Turner after completing the European leg of her Radical Optimism tour.
She shared snaps of herself sunbathing and posing with her actor partner, while enjoying some down time in Napoli.
The Training Season singer has been mocked for her habit of going on constant trips abroad, but wouldn't we all be the same if we could?
Earlier this month, she said: 'People do really love to joke about the fact that I'm always on holiday.
'I'm not always on holiday – I just make everything I do feel like a holiday.'
This certainly looks like one.
GRACE: I BELIEVE IN LLOYISO
THE sun is shining and Clean Bandit have the perfect tune to go with that in their new single Believe.
Ahead of its release tomorrow, I've been given an early listen to the track, which made me feel like I was already on a scorching beach with a cocktail in hand.
The band, teamed up with rising South African star Lloyiso, whose incredibly soulful voice soars over the group's beats.
On how it came about, Grace Chatto said: 'We met Lloyiso in Johannesburg a few years ago. I met his friends, The Imports, who invited me to their house to write some songs.
'I was supposed to fly home but I decided to stay, impulsively. Lloyiso walked in and just sang, at the top of his lungs. It was so moving – I've never ever heard anything like it in my life.'
MAT'S UP TO PARTY
GAVIN & Stacey star Mathew Horne must be exhausted.
The actor was spotted living the high life at Wimbledon on Tuesday, where he enjoyed a swanky buffet in the exclusive Evian suite alongside his wife, set designer Celina Bassili.
Just hours before, he had been partying at Glastonbury and checking out sets from singer/songwriter Beth Gibbons and The Maccabees.
Bizarre's Jack was also there post-Glasto and he's knackered, too.
So hopefully the rest of Mathew's week is a bit more chilled.
SINGER WILLOW BLISSED OUT WITH ACTOR MATT
US singer Willow Avalon has confirmed she is dating Criminal Minds actor Matthew Gray Gubler.
In an exclusive chat backstage following her set at American Express Presents BST Hyde Park, Willow told me her fellow Yank was whisking her off on a romantic holiday.
'We're actually going to Paris tomorrow,' Willow said.
'He's really excited to show me around. I have three days off – so three days of bliss – because I don't have much time over the next three months, so we've locked it in.'
The pair were VIP guests at country star Zach Bryan's BST after-show party and were spotted hanging out at the nearby Golden Lion pub on Sunday with their pals.
Opening up about how she prepared before going on stage, Willow let me in on her secret, explaining: 'I love regular Lays potato chips because if you eat those right before you go on, the oil coats your throat and it helps your voice.
'I have that with hummus.'
I'll give that a try next time I'm doing drunken karaoke.
RITA TURNS UP HEAT
SHE has just released a single called Heat and Rita Ora was dressed for just that as the UK basked in a heatwave.
The Brit singer wore tiny pink and red shorts, along with white heels and pink shades, as she posed for Music Numero magazine.
And on the cover, perched on a motorbike, right, Rita looked stunning in black hotpants and a matching hooded crop top.
The trendy shoot comes ahead of her fourth album, the follow-up to 2023's You & I, which it is hoped will be out this year.
Of the record, she said: 'The album is brave and in your face. It's ignorant without being arrogant.
'There is a world of ignorance where you are confident but happy and really proud of what you're doing, but without coming across as arrogant and rude.'
PETE HITS THE ROOF IN LOFTY GIG
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PETE DOHERTY embraced the hottest day of the year on Tuesday by performing a live gig in central London for Virgin Radio.
He played a belting set for its Live At The Top Of The Tower segment, on the 14th floor roof terrace of The News Building – where Virgin and The Sun are based.
And my team got a surprise at the office canteen a few hours before his set, where they found the star topless and getting some grub with one of his kids.
It came just 48 hours after Pete and his band The Libertines performed on Glasto's Pyramid Stage, so the intimate rooftop gig was a very special moment for fans who managed to nab tickets.
Stay tuned to Virgin for your chance to get into future gigs.
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