Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist Pat Smear joined NHC – the new band formed of Foos drummer Taylor Hawkins, and Jane's Addiction guitarist and bassist Dave Navarro and Chris Chaney – during their show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood last night (November 23).
New fan footage shows the band opening their set with I Know a Place – an original which is yet to receive an official studio release – before offering up renditions of their four singles to date – Feed the Cruel, Better Move On, Devil That You Know and Lazy Eyes – as well as a host of other new originals, closing with a cover of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust.
The band teased Smear's addition to their lineup for the Troubadour show in a series of Instagram posts earlier this week, which show Hawkins, Navarro, Chaney and Smear practicing at the band's rehearsal space – which is decorated to the nines with electric guitars, framed band photos and other musical memorabilia.
While Pat Smear joined NHC at the Troubadour – and at their October 2 show at Ohana Festival's Encore weekend at Dana Point, California – Rolling Stone report that he's already told the band a “soft no” to taking part in any future tours.
Hawkins, Navarro and Chaney announced the formation of NHC back in September, kicking things off with two debut singles: Feed the Cruel and Better Move On. The tracks showcased the trio's versatility from the off, the former being the more high-octane of the pair and the latter dabbling in more down-tempo arrangements.
The band doubled down with two new tracks earlier this month – Devil That You Know and Lazy Eyes – a cathartic, wah-laced ballad and a more intense, proggy number, respectively.
Hawkins and Navarro first met at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995, where Alanis Morissette and the Red Hot Chili Peppers – the musos' respective gigs at the time – both performed. The impetus to start NHC arrived when the trio – joined by Slipknot's Corey Taylor – delivered a rendition of Man in the Box during Alice in Chains' MoPOP Founders Award virtual celebration last year.
The group – minus Corey Taylor – reportedly gathered at Hawkins' house to jam prior to the performance, during which they began to work on new original material based on some of Hawkins' pre-recorded demos. Though Navarro says: “What we ended up with sounds nothing like those demos.”
Outside the realm of NHC and Jane's Addiction, Dave Navarro has been active on social media as of late. Earlier this month, the guitarist got in touch with a YouTube guitar teacher to correct his lesson of Jane's Addiction's Been Caught Stealing, telling Matt from Let's Play All: “It's actually easier than you're doing it.”
