Queen‘s Roger Taylor has responded to rumours that his son Rufus is joining Foo Fighters as their new live drummer.
Rufus Taylor – the Godson of the late Taylor Hawkins, and current member of The Darkness – performed on-stage with the Foos at last year’s huge Hawkins tribute concerts, which took place in London and Los Angeles.
- READ MORE: Inside the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert: “A gigantic fucking night for a gigantic fucking person”
He was one of the numerous guest drummers to join Dave Grohl and co at the emotional shows, appearing alongside the likes of Travis Barker, Nandi Bushell and Hawkins’ teenage son Shane.
Last week saw Foo Fighters return with ‘Rescued’, their first single since Hawkins’ death in March 2022. With it, the band shared details of their 11th studio album ‘But Here We Are’ (out June 2).
Next month, the group will hit the road for a run of festival appearances and US headline shows. It is not yet known who will be behind the kit at the forthcoming gigs.
During an appearance on BBC Radio 2 this week, Roger Taylor was asked if there was any truth to the rumours that his son could be stepping in. “Well, Rufus is phenomenal,” he responded (via Planet Radio).
“He’s turned into this scary, great drummer with The Darkness […] My son, he’s just annoyingly powerful and he’s become very, very good. I can’t say any more!”
Pressed further on whether Rufus could be on-stage with the Foos in 2023, Roger explained: “Well, he does play brilliantly with them. He knows all their stuff, knows them all very well.
“He did play ‘Best of You’ with the Foos, and it was phenomenal at Wembley, and at The Forum in LA. What exactly is happening now, I don’t know.”
As for the impact of Hawkins’ passing, Roger explained: “We’re never going to forget him. I can’t take him out of my phone.”
Meanwhile, Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron has denied reports that he is planning to replace Hawkins on drums.
Foo Fighters confirmed on New Year’s Eve 2022 that they would be continuing to tour without Hawkins.
“Without Taylor, we never would have become the band that we were – and without Taylor, we know that we’re going to be a different band going forward,” a statement on social media read.
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