Foo Fighters reveal Josh Freese as new drummer, following Taylor Hawkins' death last year

Over a year on from the death of Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins, the band have announced that Josh Freese is set to step up as their new drummer.

As well as being a member of The Vandals and previously A Perfect Circle, Freese has worked with a star-studded selection of artists and bands as a session musician – including Danny Elfman, Nine Inch Nails, Sting, Weezer, Lana Del Rey, and Guns N' Roses. He's also released his own solo projects.

The news comes just over a week ahead of the release of Foo Fighters' highly anticipated 11th studio album, But Here We Are (out June 2) – their first since the death of Hawkins. The album is dedicated to both their former drummer and Dave Grohl's late mother Virginia.

Hawkins, who originally joined the band in 1997, died on March 25, 2022 while on tour in Colombia, aged 50.

Foo Fighters revealed the news about their new drummer during Sunday's livestream, Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts,  recorded at their 606 Studios in California. The livestream also featured special guest appearances from Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith, Tommy Lee and Danny Carey of Tool.

Freese previously played at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert in London last year, and shared his reflections on Instagram at the time.

"Taylor and I both grew up in Orange County," he wrote, "30 mins away from one another but whenever we were in a group full of musicians (usually far away from home somewhere) we'd joke that we were the only 2 guys from O.C. in the room. We always had that funny little bond and he'd always remind me that he was tired of hearing about 'that other young guy from OC who was already making records and touring' when he was a teenager. I'd then ask him if he wanted to trade bank accounts with me, LOL! Fuck man, the whole thing sucks. He would've loved that show more than anyone though."

Thanks for joining us. It will be streaming on @Veeps for 72 hours on demand if you missed it: https://t.co/hzz5G9mOKy

We'll see you all soon. pic.twitter.com/c7NATC6lzD

— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) May 21, 2023