Queens Of The Stone Age have said they are ‘gutted’ they have been forced to cancel shows while frontman Josh Homme has emergency surgery.
The 00s band said they ‘share in your frustration and disappointment’ as they announced they will not be able to play eight European shows while Josh, 51, returns to the US.
The Little Sister hitmakers were due to take to the stage at the Festival Jardin Sonore in Vitrolles, France, on Wednesday, ahead of gigs in Slovakia, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania, Croatia and Greece.
On X, the band wrote: ‘Queens are gutted we aren’t able to play for you. We apologise for any inconvenience and share in your frustration and disappointment.’
The No One Knows chart-toppers attached a statement that read: ‘QOTSA regret to announce that Josh Homme must return to the United States immediately for emergency surgery.
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‘Every effort was made to push through and play for you, but it is no longer an option to continue.’
It added: ‘Ticket holders for festivals, please visit the specific festival website for updated information.
‘Ticket holders for headline shows will be contacted directly from the point of purchase with further information.’
In June 2023, Josh revealed he had been diagnosed with cancer the previous year and was ‘still healing’ after undergoing successful surgery to remove it.
He later spoke to Metro.co.uk about how he relied on music while he navigated his diagnosis.
Josh told us: ‘Writing this one was unlike anything else, because we were going through not only personal things that weren’t like anything I’ve experienced, in a whole timeframe where everybody is going through something they don’t understand en masse.’
He added: ‘Sometimes I’d think, “I don’t want to put myself out there. I don’t want to subject myself to a world that sometimes takes pleasure from its own brutality. There was this desire to be understood and feeling misunderstood instead.’
Speaking to Revolver magazine, Josh previously shared of his illness: ‘Cancer is just the cherry on top of an interesting time period, you know?
‘I’m extremely thankful that I’ll get through this, and I’ll look back at this as something that’s [messed] up — but will have made me better.’
Queens Of The Stone Age formed in Seattle in 1996 and Josh has been the only constant member throughout multiple line-up changes.
Since 2013, the line-up has consisted of Josh alongside Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore.
Mark Lanegan, who was a band member for more than 10 years, died in 2022 at the age of 57.
The band have been touring in support of their latest album In Times New Roman.
They are currently scheduled to appear at Way Out West in Sweden on August 8, as well as Oya Festival in Norway and Syd For Solen in Denmark ahead of further festival sets in Europe later in the summer.
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