The Foo Fighters have had an eventful week, recently announcing their upcoming album – Your Favorite Toy – while frontman Dave Grohl explained the reasons behind the band’s decision to part ways with drummer Josh Freese in 2025. Additionally, the band has revealed a surprise trio of intimate shows in England and Ireland happening this week, with tickets available for purchase only in person.

Details of This Week’s Foo Fighters Shows

Last Friday (Feb. 20), the Foo Fighters appeared on The Graham Norton Show, performing their latest single – “Your Favorite Toy” – from the upcoming album. They were joined by Jake Shears, frontman of Scissor Sisters, and afterward, Grohl hinted at potential U.K. shows before this summer’s European and North American tours.

Earlier today (Feb. 22), the band officially announced a trio of shows set to take place in England and Ireland later this week. Specifically, Foo Fighters will perform at The Academy in Dublin, Ireland tomorrow (Feb. 23); at 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London, England on Wednesday (Feb. 25); and at 02 Ritz in Manchester, England on Friday (Feb. 27).

All three announcements clarify that ticket sales for all shows are open but “will be available in person ONLY.” In particular, tickets for the Dublin show can only be purchased at the 3Olympia Theatre box office, while tickets for the shows at 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and 02 Ritz will be held at their respective venues.

Additionally, the announcements state that there is a “2-ticket limit per person, on a strictly first come, first served basis.” Furthermore:

The individual attending the event must be present at the time of purchase with their physical photo ID and credit card. If you plan to buy 2 tickets, your guest does not need to be present during the purchase; however, on the night of the show, you must enter the venue together or your second ticket will be forfeited. No transfers will be allowed. No exceptions.

Unsurprisingly, as reported by the BBC, tickets are selling quickly! In fact, as this article was being written, Foo Fighters announced that both the Dublin and Manchester shows are sold out (but tickets are still available for London).

You can find more details about each event within its respective announcement, along with Foo Fighters’ social media posts below:

Foo Fighters’ Intimate England + Ireland Show Dates

Feb. 23 – Dublin, Ireland @ The Academy
Feb. 25 – London, England @ 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Feb. 27 – Manchester, England @ 02 Ritz

As previously mentioned by Loudwire, Foo Fighters will embark on a proper tour this summer and into 2027 (starting in early May), featuring headlining performances and festival appearances across North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia. They will be joined by artists such as Queens of the Stone Age, Inhaler, IDLES, and several others.

You can see the full list of tour dates – and grab tickets – here.

READ MORE: Did You See Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl Chug a Beer at the Super Bowl?

Other Foo Fighters News

This month saw Foo Fighters initially teasing the eventual reveal of Your Favorite Toy through “an interactive [website] frontpage that allows viewers to explore items in a room while uncovering snippets of music that will presumably appear on the band’s next album” (as reported by Loudwire on Feb. 12).

The room was described as “set up like a music lover’s bedroom, filled with various Foo Fighters posters, decals, and photos.” Loudwire added:

The setup includes a guitar, a stack of CDs, a pile of dirty clothes, and more. At press time, not all items featured in the room had interactive elements; however, many photos seem to be from recent recording sessions and provide approximately 10-second snippets of music. We counted 11 interactive items placed within the room.

On Feb. 19, Loudwire reported that Foo Fighters officially announced Your Favorite Toy, which is set to release on April 24 via RCA Records and Roswell Records. The album will feature 10 songs (including previously released single “Asking for a Friend”). Regarding the title track, Grohl commented:

“Your Favorite Toy” really was the key that unlocked the tone and energetic direction of the new album. We stumbled upon it after experimenting with different sounds and dynamics for over a year; when it took shape one day, I knew we had to follow its lead. It was the fuse to the powder keg of songs we ended up recording for this record. It feels new.

This album follows 2023’s But Here We Are, which was Foo Fighters’ first LP after the passing of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. While Grohl played drums (as well as guitar and vocals) for that record, Your Favorite Toy is expected to feature their current drummer, Ilan Rubin, who officially replaced Freese last year.

You can preorder Your Favorite Toy here.

Speaking of Freese (who began playing with Foo Fighters in 2022), there has been much mystery surrounding his departure from the group; Freese mentioned in December 2025 that he still didn’t know exactly what transpired between them.

During a recent conversation with NME, Grohl provided more insight into why they let Freese go after their tour in 2024.

“In those six or seven months [after the tour], as a band, we discussed our next steps and new direction; we thought it was best to call Josh and inform him that we would move forward with a different drummer,” Grohl disclosed.

He added that this decision “didn’t happen overnight,” stating:

The entire band called Josh; it wasn’t just me. We expressed our gratitude for his contributions: “Hey man, that was awesome! Thank you so much! But we are going to move on and find another drummer.” Afterward, we didn’t issue a press release or tweet anything or conduct interviews; we stayed silent about it. Since then, there’s been much discussion regarding it; however, I believe Josh summed it up best when he said he didn’t feel our music resonated with him anymore—and that’s really important.

This clarifies their position.

Are you excited about this week’s shows? What about Foo Fighters’ upcoming album and summer tour? Let us know!