Radio X DJ Chris Moyles may have unofficially announced that Foo Fighters will be releasing a new album in March 2023.
Moyles made the surprise revelation live on air during his Radio X UK breakfast show this morning (7 Feb). After playing the Foos hit, Walk, Moyles casually said, “I love that song so much - Foo Fighters, and Walk. They’ve got a new album coming out in, er, March, Foo Fighters… which I’m very much looking forward to.”
Moyles quickly turns to admitting that he has been enjoying a Harry Styles album, and the subject of a new Foo Fighters album isn’t revisited. Following the Chris Moyles Show, a clip of the broadcast was uploaded to Twitter and shared by Foo Fighters fan page FooFightersUK.
New Foo Fighters album being released next month apparently pic.twitter.com/7SVgbiWXrHFebruary 7, 2023
Now, that’s quite a bombshell to drop, particularly if it wasn’t intentional. But, if true, does a new album mean a collection of new material? With Foo Fighters still yet to announce who will play drums in the post-Taylor Hawkins line-up of the band, we think that the new album Moyles is referring to is an official release of the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts.
First, March will mark the 12-month anniversary of Taylor Hawkins’ death while on tour with Foo Fighters in Colombia, an event that clearly had an unimaginable impact on the band.
While it’s not out of the question that Foo Fighters have been busying themselves over the last year by writing new music together, an album of new material without Taylor Hawkins - which coincides with the first anniversary of his death - is unlikely.
With that said, there's every chance that material featuring Hawkins, recorded before his death exists. However a live recording which punctuates the darkest period in the band’s history while also celebrating the life of such an influential musician? Seems fitting.
Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett recently announced a new single, Black Top White Lines with his self-titled Americana side-project, due for release on 15 February.
To accompany this, Shiflett also announced that he’ll be embarking on a short UK and Ireland tour in March, something that would seem difficult - but admittedly not impossible - to pull off while also undertaking what would likely be a hefty promo schedule for a new Foo Fighters album.
2022’s Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts resonated throughout the world of rock and beyond, delivering a ridiculous number of guest appearances from rock and pop royalty, contemporaries and even the next generation of musicians.
So far, only the Wembley concert has been broadcast, with the six-hour livestream taking place on YouTube and available for catch-up on Paramount+.
The LA date has only been watched via phone-filmed footage from those who were there, meaning that we still potentially have hours of pro-recorded audio (and hopefully video) to digest.
There is also the possibility of a Greatest Hits collection, but given that the band has already released two, a third collection at this moment doesn’t seem necessary. For now, it’s a case of having to watch this space until an official announcement is made.
