Stereophonics have joined the legion of bands and artists paying tribute to the Foo Fighters’ late drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died on Friday (March 25) at the age of 50.
Currently touring in support of their 12th studio album, ‘Oochya!’ – which landed earlier this month – the Welsh band performed at the Brighton Centre last night (March 26). There, they delivered a pared-back, ballad-esque rendition of the Foo Fighters’ 2005 hit ‘Best Of You’, dedicated, in Hawkins’ memory, to the Foo Fighters and their families.
Introducing the track, Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones noted that they’d “met Taylor a few times”, and pensively noted that “we’ve all been in that position in this band, where we’ve lost a band member”. Posting footage of the cover – which you can see below – on Twitter, the band shared an additional message sharing “our thoughts and prayers to [Taylor’s] family and bandmates”.
Take a look at the performance below:
RIP Taylor – our thoughts and prayers to his family and bandmates. pic.twitter.com/sx9JkQOJav
— stereophonics (@stereophonics) March 26, 2022
Foo Fighters confirmed Hawkins’ passing on Friday afternoon, with a statement reading: “The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.”
No cause of death has been formally announced, though recent reports from Colombian authorities claim that according to a preliminary toxicology test, Taylor had 10 substances – including opioids, benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants – in his system. Health officials said (per People) that Hawkins died in his room at the Casa Medina hotel in Bogotá, Columbia, and had called emergency services to report that he was suffering from chest pain shortly beforehand.
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Foo Fighters are currently on tour in South America, and were due to play Festival Estero Picnic in Bogotá on the night of Hawkins’ death. His last show with the band was a headlining set at Lollapalooza Argentina on March 22; following the news of his passing, fans have taken to social media to share footage of Hawkins performing for the last time at the festival.
Other acts who have since paid tribute to Hawkins include Coldplay and Liam Gallagher – who both dedicated songs in his honour at their own shows this week – and Miley Cyrus, who was due to share a lineup with the Foo Fighters at Lollapalooza Brazil last night. Cyrus dedicated her set there to Hawkins, writing on Instagram: “This is how I’ll always remember you.”