British rock legends The Who have parted ways with longtime drummer Zak Starkey for the second time in a month.
The band announced the renewed split via Instagram on Sunday, hinting at an amicable departure and stating, “After many years of great work on the drums from Zak, it was time for a change.”
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However, Starkey offered a different version of events. In his own post, he claimed he had been fired and pressured to portray the split as friendly.
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The conflicting accounts follow an earlier, short-lived attempt to dismiss Starkey in April. At that time, the band appeared to fire him before walking it back and reinstating him ahead of their farewell tour, with a spokesperson for the band attributing the class to “communications issues” that had been resolved.
Starkey, who joined The Who in 1996 during the Daltrey Sings Townshend tour, has been a core part of the band’s live lineup ever since. But tensions reportedly surfaced during a recent performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. According to The Guardian, Roger Daltrey seemed frustrated with Starkey’s playing and at one point told the audience, “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. I’m sorry, guys.” The Metro also quoted Daltrey making that remark during the same show.
Following Starkey’s second departure, The Who announced that American drummer Scott Devours will join them for the farewell tour. Based in New York, Devours has previously toured with Roger Daltrey as well as artists such as Eric Clapton, and was a member of the post-grunge band Oleander. He also filled in for Starkey on several dates during The Who’s Quadrophenia & More tour in 2013.
