Dick Move ‘gutted’ but feel for grieving Foos

off the big stage: Dick Move were chosen as one of two support bands for The Foo Fighters' New Zealand tour in December but all upcoming Foo Fighters concerts have been cancelled following the death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins. Picture by Mason Fairey

The cancellation of The Foo Fighters tour has put paid to punk rock band Dick Move opening for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees in front of tens of thousands of people.

The Foo Fighters cancelled all their upcoming tour dates, including two New Zealand concerts, following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins.

“We are absolutely gutted as you can imagine, but it is completely understandable,” said Lucy Suttor, Aucklanb-based Dick Move's lead singer and frontwoman.

Suttor and band members Justin Rendell and Luke Boyes have strong Gisborne links.

“The loss of Taylor to the Foo family is devastating. We hope they can take this time to grieve and heal. Our hearts go out to them.”

Dick Move and Australian band Amyl and The Sniffers were chosen to open for The Foo Fighters in their December concerts at Wellington's Sky Stadium and Auckland's Western Springs.

Hawkins, who was 50, died at a hotel in Bogota, Colombia, where the band was due to perform as part of its South American tour.

His death was announced by Foo Fighters in a statement, in which they said they were “devastated” by the loss and asked that his family be given privacy.

“It is with great sadness that Foo Fighters confirm the cancellation of all upcoming tour dates in light of the staggering loss of our brother Taylor Hawkins. We're sorry for and share in the disappointment that we won't be seeing one another as planned. Instead, let's take this time to grieve, to heal, to pull our loved ones close, and to appreciate all the music and memories we've made together.”

According to Colombian investigators Hawkins had marijuana, opioids and other drugs in his system. The cause of death remains unknown and investigators did not say if the mix of drugs was a factor.

Hawkins was a member of the Foo Fighters since 1997.

The band have won 12 Grammy awards, including Best Rock Album four times, and last year were the recipients of the first-ever global icon award at the MTV Video Music Awards.

— Additional reporting from RNZ