The Who have reinstated drummer Zak Starkey after he was unceremoniously sacked because of complaints by frontman Roger Daltrey.
Last month, the band played a series of headline shows at the Royal Albert Hall, when Daltrey complained about Starkey’s performance in front of the audience. A statement was then released to confirm that the band had decided to part ways with the musician.
Starkey, who is the son of The Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and his first wife, Maureen Starkey, has been the band’s full-time drummer since he joined their Quadrophenia tour in 1996. His nearly three-decade-long career with the group came to an abrupt end with the announcement.
Starkey said he was “surprised and saddened” by the news and that the band had felt “like family”. Daltrey’s drummer, Scott Devours, who performs with him during his solo gigs was rumoured to replace Starkey.
However, in a swift turn of events, the band have now backtracked on that decision.
In a statement issued on Saturday (19 April) and written by guitarist Pete Townshend for the band’s social media page, The Who said that the public fallout had been due to “communication issues”.
“He’s not being asked to step down from The Who,” Townshend wrote. “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 group did, however, appear to double down on their complaints over Starkey’s skills, revealing they have asked him to improve his drumming.
“Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line up and he has readily agreed,” he said.
Townshend said he will “take responsibility for some of the confusion” as the group’s performances were “tricky” for him due to recovering from a knee replacement.
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“Maybe we didn’t put enough time into sound checks, giving us problems on stage,” he said. “The sound in the centre of the stage is always the most difficult to work with. Roger did nothing wrong but fiddle with his in-ear monitors.
“Zak made a few mistakes and he has apologised. Albeit with a rubber duck drummer.”
The statement continued: “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.
“As for Roger, fans can enjoy his forthcoming solo shows with his fabulous drummer, Scott Devours, who it was rumoured might replace Zak in The Who and has always been supportive of the band.
“I owe Scott an apology for not crushing that rumour before it spread. He has been hurt by this. I promise to buy him a very long drink and give him a hug.”
