The Who: Last News

Roger Daltrey has opened up about the future of The Who, saying that he is “happy” that “that part of my life is over”.The legendary frontman spoke to The Times about the band’s status, stating that ultimately any decision about calling it a day would have to be made alongside Pete Townshend. But for now, it appears he is in no rush to get back on the stage.“I don’t write the songs.

Roger Daltrey has blamed his generation for the ongoing NHS crisis, and called on the service to cut the salaries of its top executives.The Who frontman shared his thoughts on the ongoing healthcare crisis in a new interview with The Times, and revealed that he partly blames his generation for putting strain on the service and reducing the service offered to young people.“I’m in the way,” the 79-year-old told the outlet. “All us old farts, we really are just in the way of the young now, aren’t we?”The rock singer, who famously sang the line “I hope I die before I get old”, also learned of a young cancer patient who was forced to get a private scan to be diagnosed with stage four Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of blood cancer.“For fuck’s sake… Let’s just die!” he said.

Pete Townshend of The Who has admitted that “all guitarists are intimidated” by the young guitarists who post videos of themselves shredding on social media.Speaking to Guitarist – per Guitar.com – in an interview, Townshend spoke of using the guitar as a technical tool when it comes to composing music. “I think one of the things that all guitarists of today are intimidated by is these young guys on Instagram that shred to hell and back, or to heaven and back, I should say, who started when they were six.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has announced that he will be stepping down as the curator for the Teenager Cancer Trust gigs.The announcement was made today (January 8) via BBC, and comes following the rock veteran acting as the curator for the annual charity gigs for over two decades.The benefit shows have been taking place at the Royal Albert Hall since 2000 – although took a break in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Since its initiation, it has raised more than £32million in ticket sales and has gone on to support those struggling with cancer.Daltrey will be stepping down from the role after this year’s set of concerts.For the 2024 instalment – due to take place between March 18 and March 24 – Daltrey and The Who will open the series with two gigs on March 18 and 20, and an evening of comedy is scheduled in between.Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will appear on the Thursday (March 21), featuring support from Blossoms, and performances from The Chemical Brothers and Young Fathers are lined-up on the following two nights.The series will draw to a close with a celebration of the series, titled ‘Ovation’, starring some huge names from across the rock world.

Teenage Cancer Trust gig series in London.This year’s edition of the charity’s annual run of concerts – curated by The Who’s Roger Daltrey – is due to take place at the Royal Albert Hall between March 18 and March 24.Daltrey and The Who will open the series with two gigs on March 18 and 20, with an evening of comedy in between the two shows. Gallagher will be supported by Blossoms for his gig on March 21, before gigs from The Chemical Brothers and Young Fathers on the following two nights.The series will then close on March 24 with a special gig titled ‘Ovation’, which will celebrate 24 years of Teenage Cancer Trust gigs.On the line-up for that show will be Daltrey, Kelly Jones, Robert Plant with Saving Grace, Pete Townshend, Eddie Vedder and Paul Weller.See the full line-up below.

Pete Townshend has said The Who will have talks about where they go next.The legendary band wrapped up their final orchestral tour date at the Sandringham Estate over the summer.Now, Townshend said he is looking at meeting up with frontman Roger Daltrey about their future plans.He told Record Collector: “I think it’s time for Roger and I to go to lunch and have a chat about what happens next. Because Sandringham shouldn’t feel like the end of anything but it feels like the end of an era.”Townshend added: “It’s a question of, really, what is feasible, what would be lucrative, what would be fun? So, I wrote to Roger and said, come on, let’s have a chat and see what’s there.”It comes after he recently revealed that he is currently working on creating a new rock opera, that will see him take his novel The Age Of Anxiety to the stage, and see it performed alongside a variety of new songs.The novel was released by Townshend in 2019 and explored themes of societal anxiety, triggered by things such as global warming and the threat of terrorism.

The Who‘s Tommy is set to return to Broadway in 2024.The musical, featuring music and lyrics by Pete Townshend, started as a concept album in 1969 and debuted on Broadway in 1993.It’s now set to return for a new run – a reimagined version of the classic from director Des McAnuff and Townshend – at New York’s Nederlander Theatre in March 2024.Previews are due to start on March 8 before the official opening on March 28. Tickets will be available to purchase here from Friday, November 10 at 10am local time.Check out a teaser below.“In 1969, when I originally wrote TOMMY with The Who, nobody had ever written popular music songs about trauma, nobody talked about bullying, domestic sexual abuse was a subject that was virtually censored,” Townshend shared in a press statement.“Then, in 1993, working with Des on the staged theatre piece, we broke the established rules for a musical show.

Pete Townshend of The Who has revealed that he is currently working on creating a new rock opera.Opening up about the upcoming project in a new interview, the rock veteran confirmed that it will see him take his novel The Age Of Anxiety to the stage, and see it performed alongside a variety of new songs.The novel was released by Townshend in 2019 and explored themes of societal anxiety, triggered by things such as global warming and the threat of terrorism. It also saw the musician depict the detrimental consequences of social media on modern life, and how mental health issues are becoming more prominent across younger generations.Speaking with The Sun’s Bizarre column, the 78-year-old guitarist confirmed that the book is currently being remade as a rock opera and that he is “still developing the score and recording the music” for production.He also revealed that he is creating a making-of programme about its development, and speculated it may be another couple of years before either is officially complete.“I am also working on a documentary about the project, from its inception in 2007 until today,” he told the outlet.

Pete Townshend of The Who has revealed Keir Starmer was the lawyer who challenged him in Townshend’s infamous child pornography case.In 2003, it was discovered that Townshend had paid to view a child pornography site, which prompted a police investigation. The Who star claimed that it was research for a campaign against pedophilia for his memoir, where Townshend believed he may have been sexually abused as a child: “You have to know what’s out there.”Shortly before his memoir was published in 2012, Townshend elaborated on the incident.

Mantra Of The Cosmos – the new group featuring Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays, Black Grape), drummer Zak Starkey (The Who, Oasis), guitarist Andy Bell (Oasis, Ride) and Bez (Happy Mondays, Black Grape) – have shared their new single ‘X (Wot You Sayin?)’ and spoken to NME about their forthcoming plans.The collective were formed by Starkey – who is the son of Ringo Starr – after he initially tried to work on a krautrock project with ex-Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos during the pandemic.“I wanted him to produce it and write the lyrics because I really like his solo work and what he did with Kraftwerk,” Starkey, who is at pains to point out that Mantra are not a supergroup, told NME over Zoom. “He’s got really mad words and he can think outside the box.

The Who, Madness, Soul II Soul, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie and more.The trail will recognise more pivotal figures in music with a five-day-long celebration. This year’s recipients are Janis Joplin, Harvey Goldsmith CBE, UB40, Gordon Mac (Founder Of Kiss FM), Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson, Sugarhill Gang, Eddy Grant, Buzzcocks, Billy Bragg, Shalamar and The Kinks.

Shaun Ryder has formed a new band consisting of ‘90s music icons, called Mantra Of The Cosmos.The Happy Mondays frontman revealed the new supergroup in an interview with The Sun’s Bizarre column, and announced to fans that new music and a Glastonbury debut are imminent.Mantra Of The Cosmos is formed of Ryder, former Oasis bassist Andy Bell, The Lightning Seeds guitarist and vocalist, Ian Broudie, and drummer Zak Starkey — who has previously performed with The Who.Former Happy Mondays percussionist, Bez — real name Mark Berry — is the final name completing the lineup, and as confirmed by Ryder, an album is on the way.“I’ve got a new band together. It’s me, Zak Starkey, you know, Ringo [Starr’s] son, and the drummer in The Who, Andy Bell from Oasis and Ian Broudie from The Lightning Seeds.

Nicolas Cage has recalled the first concert he ever attended to see The Who.In a newly aired segment from the April 13 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nicolas Cage partook in the “Colbert Questionert” and was asked about the first concert he ever attended.Cage revealed that his first concert was seeing The Who perform at the Fillmore Stadium in San Fransisco, before going on to explain how “blown away” he was by the performance. “Roger [Daltrey] did this incredible thing where he was spinning the microphone with the cable and he just hit the cymbal.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has opened up about the chances of the band touring America again.Speaking to USA Today for a new interview, Daltrey spoke about the band’s latest live record ‘The Who with Orchestra: Live at Wembley’, the 79-year-old singer shared his thoughts on The Who touring the US again, saying he’s “very doubtful” it will happen, though he says “never say never”.When asked if The Who have plans to tour America again, Daltrey said: “Nothing at the moment. I don’t know if we’ll ever come back to tour America.

The Who‘s Pete Townshend has released his first solo single in 29 years in the form of ‘Can’t Outrun The Truth’.The track – released today (March 24) for charity – was composed and produced by Townshend’s partner Rachel Fuller under the pseudonym Charlie Pepper. All proceeds of the track’s vinyl sales, and an undisclosed portion of all digital downloads, will go towards the Teenage Cancer Trust.Listen to Pete Townshend’s ‘Can’t Outrun The Truth’ below.Townshend said of the track per a press statement: “The pandemic years were terrible for charities; the Teenage Cancer Trust was created in order to take the money from a series of concerts at the Albert Hall every year and various other things and that had all dropped out.”“So, the idea of doing this, which is it’s something that has sprung out of Lockdown about mental illness, but also for this particular charity.

The Who frontman Roger Daltrey has spoken to NME about the long-awaited Keith Moon biopic, vowing that the film “will be made” despite numerous past setbacks.The project has been in the works since at least 2005, when Mike Myers signed up to portray the late drummer. However, it’s since languished in development limbo and failed to get off the ground.In early 2022, it was reported that the movie would finally begin shooting that summer but that ended up not being the case.

Roger Daltrey has spoken to NME about the upcoming Teenage Cancer Trust shows, as well as The Who‘s “big, bold and sexy” orchestral tour, and whether we’ll hear any new music from the band.The frontman, who is an Honorary Patron of TCT, enlisted the likes of Kasabian, Wet Leg, Courteeners and Underworld for the 2023 edition of the charity’s annual gig series at the Royal Albert Hall in London.To close proceedings, Daltrey will play a solo concert at the historic venue on Sunday March 26. He’ll be joined on the night by special guests Richard Ashcroft and Joan Armatrading.

The Who have surprised fans in Long Island with a song that’s only been played a handful of times by the band in the last 40 years.During the gig, which took place on October 7, Roger Daltrey and co played ‘Young Man’s Blues’ as an extra encore.The band haven’t played the song since a one-off in 2014, and it’s only been played six times in the last 40 years of the band’s touring history (via Rolling Stone).The song, which was written by jazz pianist Mose Allison in 1957, added a R&B version of the song into their live set in 1964. It later appeared on the band’s ‘Live At Leeds’.

Tenacious D have shared a medley of songs from The Who‘s rock opera Tommy.The band have posted a video, which you can watch below, featuring snippets of the tracks ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘There’s A Doctor’ and ‘Go To The Mirror’.“Who better to deliver a tribute to the greatest rock opera of all times? Who? The D! That’s Who!! We’ve been working on this medley for 20 years. It’s finally ready to be unleashed.

The Cure‘s albums are set to go up for auction.The LPs, which will go under the hammer in Manchester on June 7 in aid of the BRIT Trust charity, include the band’s albums ‘Disintegration’, ‘Pornography’, ‘Seventeen Seconds’, ‘Head On The Door’ and ‘Acoustic Hits’.

The Who’s Pete Townshend has reflected on the death of drummer Keith Moon, saying he “tried everything” to keep him alive.Moon was the drummer for The Who between 1964 and 1978, and died from an overdose of Heminevrin, a drug used to treat and prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. He was 32 years old.“I tried everything,” Townshend told People of his attempts to help his friend. “I tried giving him money, I tried starving him of money.