Right now — despite the sniffles — Homme says he’s “physically never been better in [his] life”. The day after we speak, Queens of the Stone Age will bring their show to the Royal Albert Hall — the band’s first time in the iconic building, but Homme’s third following career-peak dates with Them Crooked Vultures, his supergroup alongside Grohl and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, and as part of Iggy Pop’s band for his acclaimed Post Pop Depression LP. “For Vultures, we were doing the Daltrey children’s benefit [Teenage Cancer Trust], so it wasn’t our own show,” he recalls. “I remember thinking, especially at that time in my life, ‘Well this is the only way I’m ever gonna get in the door here.’ I’ve had the ‘I’ll probably get thrown out’ mentality for too long, which I’ve really tried to let go of because it doesn’t make sense.”
