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AT first glance, Queens Of The Stone Age and Mark Ronson might not look like the most wellsuited musical combo. But working together on the band’s new album Villains, they’ve toed the line between rock and disco, creating a monumental album which shot to the top of the UK charts.
And according to band member Troy Van Leuween, their partnership with producer Mark Ronson was pivotal.
But what exactly is it about Ronson - the man who helped shape the sound of Adele, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga to name a few - that inspired the rock and rollers?
According to Troy Van Leuween, it’s Ronson’s hair.
“He taught me a lot of things,” said Troy, “but most of all he taught me that having great hair is really important.”
The guitarist went on: “His hair is beautiful – pompadour. It just stands up very nicely and it doesn’t seem like it’s forced, it just naturally does that.
“I didn’t see him using a lot of product. It makes me very jealous, because I can’t crawl out of bed and look like that. I need to do stuff to my hair.”
No one likes a bad hair day, not even Queens Of The Stone Age.
But even more inspiring than his bouffant was Ronson’s ability to sculpt the band’s record without loosing their core sound.
Troy continues: “He was great for us, because first of all it turns out he’s a fan of our work, he knows our history.
“So I think he had an understanding of where we come from and where we’re headed.
“We’re having a moment where we’re transitioning a little bit. In a lot of ways he let us be who we are, and in other ways he reminded us of who we are.” But Ronson didn’t just help the band’s sound evolve, he helped widen their audience too.
He adds: “I think we try to involve everyone in our audience, no matter male, female, gay, lesbian, trans. Anyone is welcome, and we just want to provide an environment to invite everybody to come and lose themselves.”
It’s the main ethos of QOTSA, Troy concludes.
“We want to encourage people to focus on what’s good. Often people bond over what they hate, or what they don’t like. That’s not us.”
And as for the band’s upcoming gig at Manchester Arena?
“Bring your dancing shoes. We’re there to provide a good time, for us and you, together.”
Queens Of The Stone Age play Manchester Arena on Sunday 19 November, with special guests Broncho. Tickets are on sale now, priced from £30 to £46.85 via eventim.co.uk.