Mon 16 February 2026 6:00, UK
Queens of the Stone Age have become such huge stalwarts of the rock world that most acts look to them for inspiration.
Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, for instance, once said there wasn’t another live band like them. “When they hit the stage,” Grohl once said, “They’re the best rock band in the world, like nobody even gets close.”
In rock music, there are higher standards when it comes to live music, and people often can feel the shift even when the energy dips only marginally below what it should be. And when the performers aren’t feeling it, their fans will sense that, too, and more often than not, it will impact the amount of enjoyment they experience throughout the set.
This is also part of the reason why people often say that rock is dead. Live music is the lifeblood of rock music, the pulse that keeps it going strong, and when there’s a lack of bands that can’t bring themselves up to standard in front of a live audience, they’re more likely to face harsher criticism and accusations about being authentic or talented enough.
When you look at the current pool of rock greats, it seems a little sparse out there for this reason. You have your handful of legacy acts still going strong, as well as a few promising up-and-coming artists, but then there’s a gap before you reach all of those in the middle who are doing their best to bridge both worlds of nostalgia and innovation. Foo Fighters are one, as are Queens of the Stone Age.
Queens, especially, stand in their own league when it comes to live music. Maybe it’s because of Josh Homme’s ability to channel the most explosive of emotions into the music, or the fact that at the crux of it, they’re a bloody good band, or maybe it’s a combination of all of the above. But whenever they get in front of an audience, they really command the space while inciting unity at the same time.
So, what’s their highest chart position?
In a broader sense, this is also a mainstay of their material and the main reason why they have endured for as long as they have. But like most rock bands, Queens aren’t that well-versed in excessive chart successes or any other such quantifiable measurements, having had one number one album in the UK and 6 UK Top 40s. None of their songs has reached number one.
The highest position they ever received was number 15, achieved by – you guessed it – ‘No One Knows’, their career-defining hit that launched an entire generation of indie-aspiring artists into action and solidified their place as rock greats.
And while they may not have as many impressive numbers in that department as many of their pop-adjacent peers, they do thrive where it counts, like their nine Grammy nominations, as well as their broader cultural impact and extensive circle of collaborations, who are constantly working to achieve the same, genre-blending vision.