Foo Fighters have spoken out about how they and Queens Of The Stone Age inspired each other while making their new albums – and their plans to ‘take over the fucking world together’.
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The two bands were just a block away from each other while recording their new albums ‘Concrete And Gold‘ and ‘Villains‘, and say that they were driven by a friendly competition while making what Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins described as ‘opposite records’.
“One of the things that was exciting as we were across the parking lot from Queens, making these records, is that it was clear that there are still rock n’ roll albums to be made,” frontman Dave Grohl told Music Week. “I’d listen to what Queens were doing and it would be quintessential Queens. It sounds great. And Josh [Homme, frontman] would come over and listen to our stuff. I remember we were playing him ‘Arrows’, and he’s like ‘God, I’m so glad you’re finally making a dark record. I think we inspired each other.”
Hawkins added: “A good competitive spirit. It’s like we want to make a better record than them, and they want to make a better record than us.”
Grohl continued: “Josh and I were texting the other day, and we just thought ‘well, let’s just go and take over the fucking world together’. Let’s do it, why not?”
Foo Fighters release ‘Concrete And Gold’ on September 15 and will play The O2 in London on September 19.
Meanwhile, Queens Of The Stone Age release new album ‘Villains’ on August 25.
Speaking to NME about the sound of the album, frontman Josh Homme said: “There are some slower moments but I like to dance, man, and whether it’s Eagles [Of Death Metal] or Queens or [Them Crooked] Vultures there’s no reason not to conjoin rock’n’roll and dance and hallelujah and darkness and all that in one thing. In a world of desperately going for ‘likes’ I think ‘Villains’ is more like, ‘We’ll take the dislikes, we’ll take all the outcasts’. This album is here to do bad guy stuff.”
He added: “Queens has always been like an ice-cream parlour or a video arcade, it’s safe from the bullshit of the day. I’m not interested in being topical in that way, yet at the same time it’s completely about now.”
Queens Of The Stone Age’s upcoming UK and Ireland tour dates are below.
NOVEMBER
Saturday 18 – LONDON SSE Arena Wembley
Sunday 19 – MANCHESTER Arena
Tuesday 21 – LONDON O2 Arena
Thursday 23 – EDINBURGH Usher Hall
Friday 24 – DUBLIN 3Arena