View this post on Instagram

A post shared by QOTSA (@queensofthestoneage)

The leg of the tour will be locked between the ‘No One Knows’ band’s gigs in North America across October and November. The name of The Catacombs tour was first inspired by the band’s experience of playing in the famous Parisian underground burial network, a performance that was later released on film. The concert was the first of a kind and showed brand new arrangements of the band’s work, including the addition of a string section and alternatives on the drums.

The rockers said in a press release: “The Catacombs Tour will see arrangements of Queens Of The Stone Age’s work, including the addition of a string section and creative alternatives to a drum kit.ee QOTSA draw upon the spirit of those sublime subterranean renditions and infuse it into reimagined versions that promise to twist the volume knob in both directions. Enhanced by assembled ensembles, the end result will be a precious few unique and intimate performances unlike any previous QOTSA tour.”

Fans should expect to hear classic tracks as frontman Josh Homme previously hit out at artists who do not perform their popular hits live. The lead singer told the Tuna on Toast With Stryker podcast in 2023: “I understand that I’m always going to play No One Knows because I still like playing that song and that’s something that it’s an agreement with the audience. I assume that this is a part of coming here to see us, and here you go. When there’s bands that don’t want to play their big song or their big songs, I always think it’s a little c**** to do that. Acting like a song that a lot of people like is a burden is just a strange reaction to the gift that your fans have given you. Seems like an odd reaction.”

Tickets go on general sale via Ticketmasters this Friday (July 18) 10am local time. You can see all tour stops on the band’s official website.

Queens Of The Stone Age UK and Europe The Catacombs Tour 2025 dates:

October 18: Milan, Italy – Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber

October 23:  Berlin, Germany – Theater des Westens

October 24: Copenhagen, Denmark – Koncerthuset, Koncertsalen

October 26: Amsterdam, Netherlands – Royal Theater Carre

October 27: Antwerp, Belgium – Queen Elisabeth Hall

October 29:  London, UK – Royal Albert Hall

Launched in 2022, the Rock N’ Roll Circus is expanding with events in both Norwich and Sheffield this year, though due to other touring commitments, Queens of the Stone Age will only be playing the Sheffield leg of the festival. Their venue, the Don Valley Bowl, has a capacity of 7500, and will be the third time the venue has hosted the festival in as many years.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by QOTSA (@queensofthestoneage)

Announcing the second night on their Instagram page, Queens of the Stone Age shared an updated poster which said, “new date added due to phenomenal demand,” as well as listing their support acts across both nights. They will be joined by Viagra Boys, Jehnny Beth, Big Freedia and more across both nights, with Shame and The Murder Capital as two new acts joining them on their second date.  

Festival director Ali O’Reilly said: “The response to Queens of the Stone Age’s first show was incredible. Tickets flew out in record time, and we are excited to give fans another chance to get tickets to see this huge show. It’s an honour to bring one of the greatest rock bands of our generation to Sheffield for not just one, but two nights at Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus. With support from Viagra Boys and The Murder Capital, these shows are going to be something truly special.”

This is going to be insane. Need to get to this. — Andy McElwaine (@andymcelwaine) February 21, 2025

 Queens of the Stone Age have only played in Sheffield once before, visiting the South Yorkshire city to play the Leadmill in 2000. Their return comes as part of a wider European tour, which kicks off 12 July in Slovakia. Their Rock N’ Roll Circus appearance will be the last in the continent before they return to their native US.

The band hasn’t played live since July 2024, though they haven’t released any new music in that time either. Their 2024 setlists comprised mostly of material from three albums: 2023’s ‘In Times New Roman…’, and more classic albums ‘Songs for the Dead’ and ‘…Like Clockwork’. Fans shouldn’t expect any major changes to the setlist; however the circus atmosphere and the intimacy of the venue will make it an unmissable night still.

Though the band hasn’t played in the UK since a Download Festival appearance in June 2024, founder and frontman Josh Homme was one of many musical figures who came together in December to celebrate the life of Mark Lanegen. Lanegan played with QotSA between 2001 and 2005, and introducing the evening, Homme said, “Mark would have pretended to hate this, but he would have loved to see you all here tonight.”

Despite being a relative newcomer to the festival circuit, Rock N’ Roll Circus has drawn some major headline acts in its short history. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds headlined in 2022 and 2023, and the festival has attracted the likes of the Libertines, Natalie Imbruglia, and Gilbert O’Sullivan, as well as one of Sheffield’s finest exports, Richard Hawley, as support acts.

With its eclectic mix of live music and circus performances, Rock N’ Roll Circus has established itself as one of the most unique festivals in the UK. With their first performance selling out in record time and a festival like no other, fans wanting to see Queens of the Stone Age on their second date should act fast. Tickets can be found here.

The Leicestershire festival, taking place from 14 June to 16 June 2024, will also welcome alternative rock duo Royal Blood, California punk rock band The Offspring and heavy metal group Machine Head. Pantera, a heavy metal band hailing from Texas, will make their first UK appearance in 20 years at next year’s Download, while Canadian pop-punk idols Sum 41 will bid farewell to the UK festival scene as they make their last ever UK festival appearance. The band will continue to tour however, and have a new album, Heaven :x: Hell, coming out next year.

The hard rock, heavy metal and punk festival, one of the UK’s biggest and most popular summer events, is set to be partnered for a second year with canned water company Liquid Death. CEO of Liquid Death Mike Cessario spoke on the partnership, stating, “The deep connection between Download fans and artists is unique, and we’re pumped to officially be a part of the Download community. We’re looking forward to murdering thirst for festivalgoers and artists in 2024 and beyond.”

Watch the music video for “No One Knows” by Download 2024 headliners Queens Of The Stone Age below:

Other bands and artists to feature include: Alien Weaponry, Alpha Wolf, All Them Witches, Alt Blk Era, Atreyu, Babymetal, Bad Omens, Billy Talent, Biohazard, Bleed From Within, Bowling For Soup, Brand Of Sacrifice, Calva Louise, Celestial Sanctuary, Charlotte Sands, Corey Taylor, Counterparts, Crystal Lake, Deathbyromy, Defects, Delilah Bon, Dream State, Dying Fetus, Dying Wish, Elvana, Erra, Fear Factory, Fit For A King, Frozemode, Gel, Halocene, Hanabie, Harper, Heilung, Heriot, Holding Absence, Hoobastank, Hotwax, Imminence, Karnivool, Kelsy Karter & The Heroines, Knife Bride, Lord Of The Lost, Make Them Suffer, Missio, Noahfinnce, Oxymorrons, Pest Control, Polyphia, Pinkshift, Røry, Royal & The Serpent, Scene Queen, Scowl, Shadow Of Intent, Silverstein, Slaughter To Prevail, Speed, Storm, The Black Dahlia Murder, The Blue Stones, The Callous Daoboys, The Offspring, The Used, Those Damn Crows, Thy Art Is Murder, Tigercub, Underside, Until I Wake, Urne, Vukovi, Wargasm, While She Sleeps, Zulu, 311.

More bands and artists are expected to be announced.

Presale tickets for next year’s Download 2024 are available here from tonight, Wednesday 8 November at 9pm.

Benn, in referencing the stage changes, told NME, “There are always changes in the artists, but there will be to the stages as well. It’s a mix of all sorts of things, really. I’m not quite ready to announce it yet, but I’m really very excited about it.”

As for the possible headliners for next year’s Reading & Leeds festival, Benn was quick to rule out the likes of Yungblud, Paramore, Dua Lipa, Drake and Queens Of The Stone Age, lightheartedly replying, “You’ve lost a lot of money” in response to the interviewer’s claim of betting on the aforementioned acts to perform at next year’s event.

Others, though, may be well in the mix, including Central Cee, whom Benn has said of, “The trajectory of Central Cee is just incredible. He played Wireless Festival last year and it was an explosion in that sense with a really big crowd compared to what he’d been having. He’s really worked it since then. He’s getting breakthroughs in the US and working with some really important artists, and it just feels like he’s got a great future. I’m not going to say he’s going to be a future headliner because I don’t want to give anyone that burden. I felt like it was a burden I’d given to Foals. They came through with it, but I don’t want to do that again.”

Lewis Calpaldi, who unfortunately had to pull out of this year’s festival, and who was ultimately replaced by The 1975, is always welcome back to perform a headline show at Reading & Leeds, with Benn stating, “I think there will always be an open offer, but at the same time the only thing that needs to be thought about is Lewis’ health. We certainly wouldn’t be having a discussion prior to Lewis’ health being right.”

Rage Against The Machine, however, are a band that are unlikely to feature after cancelling last year, as Benn spoke about their potential return, “It’s not an agenda item at the moment, let’s put it that way. Rage are a US-based act and would very rarely do one-off shows, so it would need to fit in to a lot more scheduling.”

Additionally, Benn has also confirmed that a headliner has in fact been chosen for 2024 already, stating, “We have one of the headliners confirmed, and have had them confirmed for a little while actually. They’ve headlined in the past so we know their strength with it and we’re pleased with that.”

Queens Of The Stone Age go viral with epic Glastonbury footage https://t.co/gEzAO4rrMC @qotsa pic.twitter.com/6ii1Rq1NGc

— Kerrang! (@KerrangMagazine) June 26, 2023

Queens of the Stone Age’s newest album release, In Times New Roman…, is still hot off the presses, having dropped only on 16 June, and the band have already created sonic waves on the festival circuit- wowing the party lovers at Worthy Farm on Sunday evening. Even more amazingly the band clashed with Elton John’s headlining triumph over on the Pyramid Stage-the legendary singer’s last UK performance before he calls it quits for good.

And, in fact, Homme sent a nod toward Elton John-or at least a cheeky joke- by introducing himself as the rock n roll icon, much to the merriment of the fans gathered before him. But the comparisons between the two simultaneous acts ended there as Queens of the Stone Age came to, in the words of Homme himself, “fuck shit up together.” The energy of the guitarist and frontman is something to behold as well-at 50 Homme commanded the Glastonbury crowd like a teenager playing his first gig with everything to prove. Not too shabby for a man who recently divulged a battle with cancer last year.

Footage of the crowd at @qotsa‘s Glastonbury set has gone viral#NMEGlasto #Glastonbury2023 https://t.co/To7jp7sYub — NME (@NME) June 27, 2023

The set was also punctuated with a tender, emotional dedication to Homme’s friend and collaborator, Mark Lanegan- the band playing “In the Fade” in memory of the talented singer who died last year. The Seattle based singer was an early grunge pioneer and featured on numerous Homme and Queens of the Stone Age material.

Not only did the group pull a massive crowd on the Other Stage, their set closing song “Song for the Dead” sent the band viral over the internet as the grounds before them exploded into a huge circle pit. Lording over the chaos, Homme surveyed the masses as the opening notes of the song reverberated through the audience. Addressing the multitudes, Homme yelled, “wait a minute, I haven’t done shit yet. Stop for a second! Stop! I haven’t done shit. I run this fucking place-you don’t go until I say ‘go.'”

ROCK ON: Queens of the Stone Age hailed for Glastonbury set up against Elton John, play past curfew despite hefty fine: https://t.co/g5fdotE7fA

— Loudwire (@Loudwire) June 26, 2023

By the time Homme began picking the signature notes of the introduction to the song, the crowd, fit to burst, made sure Glastonbury wouldn’t sign off without adding a heavy rock tinge to the proceedings. Many will argue, Glastonbury saved the best for its final night this year- the only complaint to be had possibly coming from those who were forced to choose between the sets of two rock legends.

The End Is Nero Tour continues across Europe & the UK. A feast of new dates with special guests @thechatsband & @deeptanyeah. Tickets are on sale Friday, 16 June at 10am local time. https://t.co/SDBC0Os03w pic.twitter.com/WKkQZ9koH5

— QOTSA (@qotsa) June 13, 2023

Kicking off in November, the group will be playing 13 shows across the whole of the month, visiting arenas in cities such as London, Dublin and Paris. Queens of the Stone Age announced in May that they would be releasing their much anticipated follow up to 2017’s critical hit Villains. To celebrate the news, the band also released a new single “Emotion Sickness” accompanied by a video for the song.

It has been a somewhat turbulent few years for frontman and guitarist Josh Homme-a reportedly less than amicable split with his wife Brody Dalle of the band The Distillers, the deaths of close friends and collaborators such as Taylor Hawkins and Mark Lanegan and a recent reveal that the prolific songwriter had a cancer diagnosis last year. Despite making it through all of these ordeals, Homme faced the inner turmoil of deciding whether he even wanted to make music anymore and with his band Queens of the Stone Age.

Luckily for everyone, Homme decided against calling it a day and is now ready to share new Queens of the Stone Age material and take the band back on the road in North America, the UK and Europe. Speaking about the lyrical rawness of the new album, Homme said, “kowtowing to my own insecurities or fears at my age is not a good look. It should be more vulnerable, not less.”

The band is well known for working with many collaborators, in the past featuring musicians such as Dave Grohl, PJ Harvey and even a cameo appearance by Elton John on song “Fairweather Friends.” Rumours have been circulating about possible guest spots on Times New Roman…but fans will have to find out who, if any, appear when the album finally drops in two days time.

Queens of the Stone Age have been active this spring and summer with two shows in May in the USA and a series of dates in the UK which include shows in Halifax and Margate, both of which are sold out. The group will also be playing the Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival on 25 June.

You can buy the new album here. Tickets for Queens of the Stone Age UK and Europe shows can be found here.

Queens of the Stone Age UK and Europe Tour:

04/11/2023 – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam, Netherlands
05/11/2023 – Rockhal – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
07/11/2023 – Accor Arena – Paris, France
08/11/2023 – Jahrhunderthalle – Frankfurt, Germany
09/11/2023 – Max-Schmeling-Halle – Berlin, Germany
11/11/2023 – Mitsubishi Electric Halle – Dusseldorf, Germany
12/11/2023 – Sportpaleis – Antwerp, Belgium
14/11/2023 – AO Arena – Manchester
15/11/2023 – The O2 – London
18/11/2023 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow
19/11/2023 – Resorts World Arena, NEC – Birmingham
20/11/2023 – Globe Theatre – Stockton-on Tees
22/11/2023 – 3Arena – Dublin

The band’s unconventional choice of venues – a castle, theme park, and an 18^th Century cloth hall – have somewhat baffled fans who are delighted nonetheless with Queens of the Stone Age’s return. The shows will be the first headline UK concerts the band from the desert has played in five years.

Kicking off the tour on the 20^th June, the band will play The Piece Hall in Halifax, then head to the theme park Dreamland in Margate on the 22^nd June, and finish the run on the 23^rd June at Cardiff Castle.

Supporting the band for all three shows will be the Isle of Wight indie pop band Coach Party. The up-and-comers shared the announcement on their Instagram captioning the post, “we’ll also be riding this one for a long time”.

The dates are a welcome addition to Queens of The Stone Age’s already-packed European summer schedule. Josh Homme and his crew will be performing at a myriad of festivals this summer including Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium, Les Nuits de Fourvière in France, Mad Cool Festival in Spain, and NOS Alive Festival in Portugal. Queens of the Stone Age will also be playing in the US this year with shows in Sacramento, Louisville, New York, Boston, and Columbus.

The announcement of the band’s UK shows was shared across the band’s social media accounts on the 18^th April with the cryptic caption, “The worlds gonna end in a month or so….”, leading to some fans speculating that new music might be on the way this summer.

Back in 2019, ZZ Top founder Billy Gibbons revealed to eonmusic that he will appear on QOTSA’s next album. He also told the magazine that David Grohl would also be featured on the album. “Just one month ago I was making a record with Queens of the Stone Age“, said Gibbons in an interview with eonmusic Hellfest in France, “and Dave Grohl was also taking part and he decided to have a big barbecue. So there was this interesting gathering. So, we spent one hour telling stories, great stories remembering these lovely guys.”

It’s been nearly six years since the band’s last LP, the carefree and energetic Villains produced by Mark Ronson. The album received positive reviews and topped Billboard’s US Top Alternative Albums and US Top Rock Albums Charts. It was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2018 Grammys.

Listen to the lead single from Villians, “The Way You Used To Do“, below:

Tickets for the UK shows go on sale on Friday 21^st April at 9 am BST. For tickets and more information see here.

See below for Queens of the Stone Age’s UK and European dates:

16/06/23 – Southside Festival Germany – Neuhausen Ob Eck
17/06 – Pinkpop Festival – Landgraaf
18/06 – Hurricane Festival – Scheessel
20/06 – The Piece Hall – Halifax
22/06 – Dreamland – Margate
23/06 – Cardiff Castle – Cardiff
28/06 – Roskilde Festival – Roskilde
30/06 –Open’er Festival – Gdynia
02/07 – Rock Werchter Festival – Werchter
04/07 – Les Nuits de Fourvière – Lyon
05/07 – Pause Guitare Festival – Albi
07/07 – Mad Cool Festival – Madrid
08/07 – NOS Alive Festival – Lisbon

QOTSA were meant to co-headline the Sunday of Reading and Friday of Leeds alongside Liam Gallagher but then had to pull out “due to restrictions and logistics”. Biffy Clyro will now step up as their replacement to headline the festival for the third time, telling fans: “We cannot wait to get out there and play for you all again after such a tough year… It’s gonna fuck!”

Due to restrictions and logistics, Queens of The Stone Age are no longer performing at #RandL21. But you asked and we answered! @biffyclyro has now been added to the line-up alongside other acts! Head to our website to get the latest announcements, news and MORE pic.twitter.com/PbS7m0vsB1

— Reading & Leeds Fest (@OfficialRandL) July 28, 2021

There have also been a few other noteworthy additions to the line-up of the festival including Inhaler, Holly Humberstone, Bakar and Che Lingo. There will be two main stages and six headliners at this year’s event with the bills being topped elsewhere by Disclosure, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Post Malone and Stormzy.

Despite QOTSA’s cancellation, there are still other well-known international names remaining on the line-up – including Post Malone, Madison Beer, Girl In Red, Fever 333 and Sigrid.

Leaders of the UK’s live music scene are also calling on the government to allow for “cultural quarantine” passes in order to let international bands and artists perform at gigs and festivals this summer without having to self-isolate upon arrival. However, Reading & Leeds boss Melvin Benn spoke to NME earlier this year, sharing his confidence in the acts from overseas being able to appear.

“I can’t comment on other festivals, but the international acts that are playing Reading & Leeds are telling me that if it’s safe to come then they’re coming,” he said. “By safe, we mean safe for the punters. That’s all I know. They’re being very explicit at this point in time. I’m very much looking forward to them fulfilling that. The reality is that we’re going to have a great line-up and a great festival come what may.”

Last week, it was announced that those attending Reading & Leeds will need to prove their COVID-19 status before being allowed entry. Ticket-holders will have to prove they are fully vaccinated and have had their second dose at least 14 days before the festival, as well as a negative NHS lateral flow test taken prior to travel on the day of arrival at the event, or proof of natural immunity based upon a positive PCR test within 180 days of the festival.

Biffy Clyro’s new slot at the festival follows off the back of the band’s 2020 Number One Album ‘A Celebration Of Endings‘, with another new record also set to drop later this year.

It’s a behemoth of a track, infectious and groovy. Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher have managed to perfectly balance the traditional Royal Blood sound with the disco and dance influences that are apparent throughout the new material. The track is an epic, playing out like an 80’s hair – meal tune, with Kerr’s vocals soaring above superbly catchy riffs. Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme lends his considerable talents to produce the song and his signature is apparent. Sludgy, filthy, bass riffs and driving drums combine for the strongest single from ‘Typhoons’: the track is a fan – favourite, having debuted on the band’s tour in 2019.

Anticipation for the Brighton band’s third LP is palpable, Royal Blood have garnered a cult following of dedicated fans from across the musical spectrum. Since the track was unveiled pre-Covid, fans have taken to twitter, repeatedly challenging the band to #ReleaseBoilermaker. The name for the track comes from the drink – a pint of beer chased up with a shot of whiskey, the perfect drink now that the pubs are open? Maybe not.

#ReleaseBoilermaker Listen to Boilermaker on the #NewMusicDaily playlist on @AppleMusic here: https://t.co/NI2Q6bv5Ai pic.twitter.com/8PlqWGb9U3

— Royal Blood (@royalblooduk) April 13, 2021

The duo have released a line of merch with the track, with t-shirts playing on the twitter-storm created in the lead up to its release. Previous singles have had a vinyl pressing, but there is no word on whether Boilermaker will be getting the 7” single treatment.

‘Typhoons’ is out at the end of this month and is expected to take the band in a different direction from the previous records. The music has certainly adapted a more radio friendly sound as well as incorporating funk and disco sounds: it makes for interesting listening when blended with Royal Blood’s riff based heavy rock noise.

@FRfestivals How do I go about getting a refund for Friday's monstrosity at Finsbury Park? The worst event I've ever been to – and that's no fault of @liamgallagher . The organisation from your company was just terrible, and the sound system was nonexistent. You're conning people pic.twitter.com/xNyi1xjpsg

— Joe (@JoeSki7) July 2, 2018

According to fans who paid to see Liam Gallagher and Queens of the Stone Age- on July 29 and July 1 respectively- there were excessive amounts of organisational issues, including long queues for both bars and toilets, as well as sound quality issues, and overcrowding. Many fans reported that they felt ‘unsafe’ in the concert environment, missing entire sets from artists as they lined up for hydration on two of the hottest days of the year in the UK.

@seetickets I purchased tickets for #qotsa at #Finsburypark and would like to know how to get a refund. Absolutely shambolic organisation from @FRfestivals meant I barely saw or heard anything. The queues were ludicrous and the crowds were dangerous and something needs to be done

— Natalie Harris (@ChatterlyBarris) July 1, 2018

Absolute shambles today. I’ve never experienced such a poorly run festival. That’s the first and last time I’ll be attending one of your events. #FinsburyPark

— Tim Callcott (@Tim1989Callcott) June 30, 2018

The petition has been drawn up now to demand that the managing directors of Festival Rebublic, and Melvin Benn, issues refunds to people who attended the events.

Seena Shah who set up the petition described the gigs as “a terrible and frightening experience.”

She said: “This petition is for anyone who attended the Liam Gallagher or Queen of the Stone Ages Concerts in Finsbury Park on 29 or 30 June, who would have found queues that were far beyond acceptable for the bars, water fountains, and toilets; overcrowding and dangerous crowd management; extremely poor sound quality.”

“Festival Republic are the organisers of these concerts and are ultimately responsible for ensuring the concerts deliver what was advertised, attendees’ safety and welfare. However, it was clear that the organisers had not properly prepared for the amount of people who attended resulting in a series of highly concerning issues.”

Shah went on to portray how attendees “were subjected to hours” of queuing to get to the bars or water fountains. She also added that “the toilet facilities were insufficient and again commanded excessive queues.”

Shah also aimed further criticism towards the “dangerous” exit procedures run by the event, describing how ” The only (very small) exit that you planned to channel all crowds through was clearly not appropriate and this proved true with crowd control issues, trampling, just overall dangerous crowd management.”

“These concerts were dangerous, wholly inadequate and issues still have not been addressed. We demand a refund in compensation for such a terrible and frightening experience.”

Festival Republic have responded to the complaints via Twitter (see below), writing that “Fans on Friday and Saturday deserved a better bar service, before including a statement from the Workers Beer Company in the link of their apology.

Fans on Friday and Saturday deserved a better bar service. In light of this, Workers Beer Company have issued the following statement. https://t.co/Zf6sFDJJak

— Festival Republic (@FRfestivals) July 1, 2018

The statement from the bar company, to explain that there was an “unprecedented failure of up to 40% of our staff to turn up.

“As a consequence people had to wait an unnecessarily long time to be served.” Before adding “For this we unreservedly apologise.”

This has managed to create further anger amongst customers, who are now accusing Festival Republic- who run a huge festival separately in Reading and Leeds- of failing to properly take responsibility for the overall poor organisation of the event as a whole. Festival Republic have not made any further comment at this time.