The stripped-back performance saw Queens of the Stone Age surrounded by skulls and bones in the Catacombs of Paris.
Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age have announced the release of their unique live performance in the Catacombs of Paris as a concert film and album.
Recorded in July 2024 and set to be released on June 6 via Matador Records/Remote Control Records, the unique performance saw the rock outfit head beneath the surface of Paris to perform within the sprawling 200-mile ossuary. According to a description of the location, its foundation is built out of “several million bodies buried in the 1700s,” with many of the walls composed of skulls and bones.
Frontman Josh Homme had dreamed of organizing such a performance since visiting almost two decades earlier, though was denied permission by the city of Paris, who had never previously allowed a band to play within. However, the respect the band held for the location ultimately resulted in their performance officially being sanctioned.
“The Catacombs of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination,” said Hélène Furminieux of Les Catacombes de Paris. “It is important to us that artists take hold of this universe and offer a sensitive interpretation of it. Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience.
“Josh seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs.”
The unique nature of the location results in Homme and his bandmates – Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore – being backed by three-piece string section as they perform a stripped-back set planned and played with deference to the Catacombs.
Recorded live with no overdubs or edits, the performance is paired with the acoustic ambience of dripping water, echoes and natural resonance as atmospheric lighting spotlights the band.
“We’re so stripped down because that place is so stripped down, which makes the music so stripped down, which makes the words so stripped down,” Homme explains. “It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. All those decisions were made by that space. That space dictates everything, it’s in charge. You do what you’re told when you’re in there.”
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs will be available to rent or purchase via the band’s website, with an audio-only release to be announced in the coming weeks.
Notably, this isn’t Queens of the Stone Age’s first subterranean gig, with the group previously performing 2,300 feet underground at German salt mine, Erlebnisbergwerk Sondershausen, in November 2007. Originally planned for wider release, the semi-acoustic performance is yet to see the light of day, with the band’s split with Interscope Records assumed by fans to be the reason for its indefinite delay.
This article was first published by Billboard U.S.
Empire of the Sun
The track from the Australian duo enters at No. 96 after a surge on TikTok. Plus, married country duo Thelma & James (featuring Canadian singer MacKenzie Porter) debut at No. 92 with "Happy Ever After You."
This week's Canadian Hot 100 features a significantly late bloomer.
Empire of the Sun have earned their first entry on the Canadian Hot 100 with "We Are the People," which debuts at No. 96 on this week's chart dated May 17. The feat comes almost two decades after the song's initial release on the group's debut album Walking on a Dream in 2008.
The chart placement follows the song's resurgence on TikTok, where it has soundtracked a number of viral videos. The most popular clip currently sits at 17.3 million views and features a couple dancing harmoniously as the bridge plays: "I know everything about you / You know everything about me / We know everything about us."
This isn't the first time the electronic music duo's catalogue has witnessed a new wave of popularity. Their track "Walking on a Dream" went viral on TikTok last year and was used in 1.1 million posts. The track previously charted on the U.S. Hot 100 in 2016 after being featured in a 2016 Honda Civic Commercial and reached a peak of No. 65.
Other new debuts on the chart this week include Bailey Zimmerman & Luke Combs' "Backup Plan" at No. 29, Ed Sheeran's "Old Phone" at No. 60, KATSEYE's "Gnarly" at No. 70 and Maroon 5 & LISA's "Priceless" at No. 71. Don Toliver and Doja Cat's "Lose My Mind" rounds the chart out at No. 100.
Canadian country singer MacKenzie Porter also notches a new debut on this week's chart. "Happy Ever After You" debuts at No. 92 and is the debut single from the Medicine Hat singer and her singer-songwriter husband Jake Etheridge as the duo Thelma & James. They previously debuted on the Canadian Airplay charts with the same viral duet, and subsequently signed to the tastemaking country label Big Loud Records.
They join other Canadians who are holding steady on the Canadian Hot 100 this week, including Cameron Whitcomb ("Quitter" at No. 40 and "Medusa" at No. 85), bbno$ with "check" (No. 65) and Shubh's "Supreme" (No. 66).
Check out the whole Billboard Canadian Hot 100 here and all of Billboard Canada's charts here.