The recording features Rose alongside Guns N’ Roses bandmates Slash and Duff McKagan, with guest contributions from Elton John and Starkey’s father, Ringo Starr. Despite the star power involved, the track has never been officially released.

According to Loudwire, the collaboration was first conceived in 2017 after Guns N’ Roses and The Who performed ‘Children of the Revolution’ live together at Rock in Rio. Following the performance, the musicians recorded a studio version for a planned charity album that was ultimately shelved.

Starkey – long-time drummer for The Who and son of Ringo Starr – has now made a public appeal for the recording to be made available. He believes that releasing the track could generate significant funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, the UK charity that provides specialist care and support to young people with cancer.

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Taking to Instagram, Zac Starkey wrote: “Dear Axl Rose, please give me my master of this track back. Me and Sshh [Liguz, Starkey’s wife] spent three years making this Bolan tribute for teen cancer and without the master of the children of the revolution which my dad, sshh and I arranged to include a modulating section for Slash’s guitar, another for Duff’s bass solo and plenty of room for Elton before you asked Sshh if you could sing it”.

“It’s a drag that the record is on the shelf, as Christie’s [auction house] have advised it could generate $2M for teen cancer,” he concluded. “C’mon bro.”

Starkey shared details about the star-studded T-Rex cover last year, and leaked the song on social media earlier this year. “Ringo/Elton/Axl/Duff/Slash. C’mon amazing people — let’s get this record out and [help] these teenagers who, as musicians, we rely on so much,” he shared in April.

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“If we wait much longer some of these brave young people may not have enough time to hear it,” he added. “This is the first half, then it gets wild!!! Everything generated by this record … goes to teenage cancer – if it gets released, which depends totally on the amazing participants giving us the green light.”

As for the entire charity album, Starkey hinted at other guest contributors, saying: “It’s a full album with more than one Beatle, a Smith a Pretender, an Ashcroft, an Iggy, and many more … Soon come”.

Teenage Cancer Trust has a long-standing link with The Who through Roger Daltrey, who serves as an honorary patron and was the driving force behind the charity’s annual concert series at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Starkey’s appeal follows in that tradition, urging Rose to help bring the unreleased recording to light for a cause that has raised millions over the past two decades.

In case you missed it, MXDWN’s recent coverage of Robert Smith taking over Daltrey’s position in curating the 2026 Teenage Cancer Trust shows can be read here.

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Starkey was reinstated within a matter of days with guitarist Peter Townshend stating: “There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.” Pete has now confirmed that Zak will not be joining the band for their final tour of North America. Townshend took to his Instagram on Sunday to announce the news to his fans, explaining in the caption: “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best. Scott Devours, who has worked with Roger’s solo band, will join The Who for our final shows. Please welcome him.”  

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The Who are set to go back on tour later this year with their ‘The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour’ with both band members holding a press conference earlier in the month to announce the tour dates whilst also letting the general public know that this would be the last North American tour to end their 60 year long career.

Pete, 79, said: “Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible. The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal. Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late Keith Moon and John Entwistle and of course, all of our long-time Who fans. I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.”

Roger, 81, said: “Every musician’s dream in the early ’60s was to make it big in the US charts. For The Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever. The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion. To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”

The Who will be joined by new drummer Scott Devours on their last tour. Devours is known for his band No Plan B whilst also having toured and collaborated with Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey, Honey Honey and more.

The so-called confusion came after a performance at the Teenage Cancer Trust shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall, during which frontman Roger Daltrey blamed Starkey for a miscued key change, telling the crowd that all he could hear was “boom, boom, boom”. The situation bubbled up earlier this week when the drummer took to Instagram to tell followers that he was about to “get the Zak”, adding that he was facing “formal charges of overplaying.” The band then made an official statement on 15 April confirming the 59-year-old had left the band. The decision was met with confusion by the wider music community, especially considering the various ties between Starkey and the band’s original drummer, Keith Moon. 

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Just as the ordeal seemed to come to an end, The Who did a U-Turn, reversing their earlier decision. Pete Townshend took to social media on 19 April, sharing a post which read “News Flash! Who Backs Zak!”. Less than three hours later, a full statement was released, clarifying the situation and telling fans “Zak is not being asked to step down from The Who,” and blaming the misunderstanding on a “breakdown of communication”.  

“There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily,” the statement read. Penned by Townshend, he shared that the March shows had been “tricky” for him too, following a knee replacement surgery, and asked himself, “Why did I ever think I could land on my knees?”

Starkey’s contribution to the band was praised, and Townshend had confirmed that the drummer agreed to “tighten up his latest evolved drumming style” for shows that didn’t feature an orchestra alongside the band. Having worked together for three decades, the guitarist said, “We are a family. This blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies.”  

The full statement was shared on Zak Starkey’s own Instagram page, with the drummer adding his own message. “Very grateful to be part of The Who family. Thanks Roger and Pete xx”.

 

 

 

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Townshend also took the opportunity to address rumours that began to swirl regarding a replacement, with Roger Daltrey’s solo drummer, Scott Devours, being heavily linked with a seat behind the kit. He apologised to Devours for not rubbishing the rumours sooner, adding that the drummer “has been hurt by this” and was owed a long drink and a hug.

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 Despite the reconciliation, some fans on Reddit are sceptical about the reasons behind it. One user wrote “seems to me like Pete had to step in to resolve it after so much support for Zak.” Regardless, Starkey is set to pick up the sticks for The Who once again for their upcoming shows in Italy.

Insiders quoted by The Daily Mirror claim that the split hasn’t been as amicable as the statement suggests, and Starkey himself made reference to tensions in an Instagram post on 12 April. The drummer joked that he was set for the “Zak”, and that “formal charges of overplaying” were set to be brought against him. The post also seemed to place the blame squarely on frontman Roger Daltrey. In an earlier Instagram post, Starkey shared a photograph of himself and guitarist Pete Townshend saying “What a guy”. 

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Starkey had been playing with The Who since 1996, when he joined them as part of the touring band for a live concert version of their 1973 album, ‘Quadrophenia’. During his 29-year stint, Starkey contributed to two studio albums, ‘Endless Wire’ and ‘Who’, and was described as being the best fit for the band after Keith Moon’s passing by both Daltrey and Townshend. Moon was friends with Starkey’s father, Ringo Starr, and was also Zak Starkey’s godfather, so he felt like a natural fit when he joined the group.   

The split appears to have stemmed from an incident on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. During the show’s finale, Daltrey apparently stopped ‘The Song Is Over’ mid-performance, telling the band and the crowd “To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that.” This account of events was backed up by an X user, who said “Daltrey missed the key change and blamed it on the drums. Now he’s fired Zak Starkey.”

The abrupt separation has caused confusion, particularly given Starkey’s prominence in the band. At nearly three decades, the 59-year-old had been part of The Who for twice as long as Moon, becoming part of the furniture. Not only was the quick dismissal surprising, but so were the accusations of “overplaying”. The Who had a reputation for being one of the 60’s loudest and most rebellious bands, almost proto-punk, and Keith Moon once set off an explosive charge in his kick drum while recording a TV show in 1967.  

No replacement has been named, and the rumour mill is relatively quiet. The band’s touring lineup has remained relatively stable, however they will need to find a replacement before their two shows in Italy this summer. Starkey will be kept busy with his group Mantra of the Cosmos, the supergroup featuring Shaun Ryder, Bez, and Andy Bell. The group played the Cavern Club earlier this year, and released a single co-written with Noel Gallagher. 

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 Starkey was also the drummer alongside Gallagher in Oasis, playing with the band between 2004 and 2009. With less than 100 days until their reunion tour kicks off, fans are already speculating about whether we could see Starkey reunite with the band this summer.

The drummer’s issue didn’t stop the celebratory atmosphere, with the gig being part of a wider party celebrating the release of their new, vinyl-only single ‘Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)’, co-written by Noel Gallagher. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Starkey shared a digital bootleg of the track taken from spotify, humorously endorsing it by saying, “I’m totally down,” before making clear that the only official release is the vinyl copy available from the Cavern Club website.

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Mantra of the Cosmos performed at the iconic Cavern Club just days earlier, playing two sets for fans and debuting the new track. The vinyl single was initially only available to purchase at the shows, ironically being sold in red and blue pressings. Their appearance on the venue’s website suggests that the band weren’t able to sell all 1000 pressings, though the performances were a hit, with one X user saying that both he and his daughter loved the show.

Me and my daughter loved the gig yesterday afternoon thanks a lot Shaun (and all of you)

— Paul Meagher (@PaulMeagher20) January 20, 2025

Noel Gallagher’s role in ‘Domino Bones’ is particularly understated with the Oasis legend writing the chorus and contributing vocals remotely. Starkey took the vocal contribution and built the rest of the song around the chorus, and that disjointed approach is noticeable on the track. Gallagher is still yet to publicly comment on the single despite his involvement. 

The Soho event welcomed several notable attendees, including Yungblud and Louie Starkey, Zak’s nephew, and an actor in his own right, alongside Dan Parker of Liverpool-based indie band Keyside. Parker performed Gallagher’s vocal parts during the Cavern shows, as Gallagher wasn’t present. Keyside are a growing band from Liverpool, and recently sold out the Art Club Theatre in the city, and added additional shows in Leeds, Manchester, and Glasgow.

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While fans took to social media to offer well wishes, bandmate and former Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder took the opportunity to have a light-hearted joke at Starkey, telling the audience “as soon as I get out of here I’m going to take some tights to get on Zak’s legs.” Starkey’s road to recovery should be fairly straight forward, and there are currently no plans for tours in the near future. 

With new music reportedly in the pipeline for 2025, Mantra of the Cosmos have definitely made a name for themselves, be it high profile collaborations or being supported by some of the North West’s most exciting bands. While Starkey won’t be able to get behind the drum kit for a few weeks, his involvement in different capacities will still be felt by fans.

The band’s setlist featured eight original tracks, including the only two that have been released, in ‘X (What You Sayin?)’ and ‘Gorilla Guerilla’, both released in 2023. The performance was the debut of ‘Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous)’, their exclusive vinyl-only single penned with Noel Gallagher, which could only be bought at the shows. 

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Gallagher’s involvement with the track led to speculation that he could play alongside the band, with fans and even an Oasis podcast taking to X to question whether he would show up. In the end, Gallagher didn’t turn up, leaving the lead singer from support act Keyside to fill in on backing vocals on the new track.  

No sign, Liam from Keyside stepped in for Domino Bones. Met Digsy though! — Richard Bowes (@rbmusicwriter) January 20, 2025

The rest of the set was packed with high-energy performances of original songs, with tracks like ‘Put The Boot In (Evil Mother Fucker)’ and ‘Flash Dragons (Beast From The East)’ making their live debut, and possibly hinting at an upcoming album. Either way, Gallagher’s brother, Liam, made his opinion of the band known, saying “[they’re] out there”.  

There out there

— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) January 19, 2025

Starkey also took part in a separate show with the Cavern’s own Beatles tribute band. Speaking about the experience of drumming Beatles classics, Starkey said: “We set up two kits and we double drummed the Beatles show. It was amazing because I was shitting it. I’ve never been nervous in my life – I’ve been on stage since I was 12 years old – but it’s holy music.”    

The drummer also used the opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges facing grassroots music venues. With funding for small venues dwindling, Starkey highlighted the disparity between investment in large arenas and the neglect of smaller spaces: “It’s alright spending billions on great big arenas like they have in Manchester, but no one’s looking after little venues… great big arenas are great for big, boring bands but they’re not for upcoming bands.”

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The issue of funding for grassroots venues is currently under review by the UK government, with a voluntary £1 levy to be added to tickets for shows at arenas and large-scale tours. The funds will be distributed by a new charity which will ensure funds will be directed where they are needed most.    

Meanwhile, Ringo Starr has also been busy with new music, recently releasing his album ‘Look Up’, which sees him return to country music after 50 years. Supporting the album, Ringo performed two shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on January 14 and 15, making it a busy week for the Starkey’s.

Ringo Starr joined on stage by Jack White, Billy Strings, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, BRENDA LEE and more at the debut of his new country album, “Look Up” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville tonight pic.twitter.com/DI4NDxkwVO — Justin Barney (@JBarney) January 15, 2025

Starkey’s comments about grassroots venues underscored how vital they are for acts like Mantra of the Cosmos. In contrast to massive arenas, small stages foster creativity and help artists connect directly with fans, be that through intimate performances or exclusive releases.

Happy Monday and Black Grape members Shaun Ryder and Bez have teamed up with former Oasis and The Who drummer Zak Starkey, and Oasis bassist and Ride guitarist Andy Bell to form the supergroup.

On the chaotic and fun-filled single “Gorilla Guerilla” Ryder’s cries of “Gorilla!” echo over Bez’s energetic maracas, repetitive guitar riffs, and thumping drum beats. Released alongside the hallucinogenic single is a colourful animated music video created by Ryder’s son Olli. Watch the trippy video for “Gorilla Guerilla” below:

Mantra of Cosmos features baggy icon Shaun Ryder on vocals, Welsh musician Andy Bell on guitar, Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums, and everyone’s favourite cheeky chappy Bez on percussion.

Ryder revealed the group’s formation to The Sun in early May spilling to the publication that the band had been secretly working on a debut album that would be “coming out very soon”. The 90s star continued, “It doesn’t sound like the Mondays or Black Grape or Oasis or The Who, it’s what we’re doing all together.”

Channel 4 herded together the fantastic four for a TV interview in which Bez revealed, “for the first time ever I’ve actually got maracas solos”! Watch the whole interview here.

In a video shared to the band’s Instagram, when asked who would be in his fantasy supergroup dead or alive, Ryder replied, “John Lennon, Paul McCartney, every member of the Rolling Stones past and present. Sly Stone, the Pistols, the Kinks, both brothers and all the rest of the band. Funkadelic-Parliament! Every member of Parliament!”

The band made their debut live appearance at The Box in London on the 5^th June giving an intimate performance at the venue.

Mantra of The Cosmos will be taking Glastonbury Festival’s Glade area by storm on Sunday 25^th June at 8.20 pm.

Bez and Ryder will also be playing as part of the Happy Mondays later this year. The band will be playing Dreamland in Margate alongside Primal Scream and Crystal Palace Bowl in London with James in August. A month later they will appear at the Rock N Roll Circus festival in Sheffield.

See below for Mantra of the Cosmos UK dates:

25/06/23 – Glastonbury Festival – Glastonbury