Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has praised Sunshine Coast band The Chats — best known for last year’s viral song ‘Smoko’ — after Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl showed him the track’s true blue music video.
Speaking with Zane Lowe on Beats 1 on Wednesday, Homme revealed he loved the ‘Smoko’ video so much that he showed it to punk legend Iggy Pop.
Speaking about The Chats — who have been supporting QOTSA during their current Australian tour — Homme said, “They have an utterly Australian song called ‘Smoko’.
“And they made this video, I was talking to the kid yesterday. They’re like maybe 21. They made their own video and he goes, ‘Yeah we had zero fans,’ and then strangely enough you know, I saw it, and Dave Grohl turned it on to me, and then the next thing I know I’m playing it for Iggy [Pop]. And I told [The Chats] that and their jaws were just like completely open.”
Homme said The Chats reminded him of when “everyone” just “couldn’t stand” Queens Of The Stone Age back in the day.
“And then one thing happens you know, you sell 20 records and you never know who those 20 records went to,” he said.
“They could have gone to the most strange buffet of human existence that you can imagine. I think that’s what was always really fascinating to me is not how many people liked it but how much did they like it. You know?
“The funny thing about music is it’s never wrong. You know? You show me, show me who you think the worst band in the world there is and I’ll show you 300 people that are willing to die for them. You know what I mean? Because it means something to them.
“And in a certain way I’ve always felt like I’d rather have people that really understand the music half as many of those as it was double but they did get us.”
Queens Of The Stone Age’s 2018 Australian tour continues in Melbourne on Friday and Saturday nights, before heading to Adelaide and Perth.
Watch the video for ‘Smoko’ below, alongside Josh Homme’s full Beats 1 interview. Homme’s Beats 1 show ‘The Alligator Hour’ resumes next week.
The Chats released their second EP Get This In Ya in July 2017.
