Speculation arose in 2008 as to extracurricular activities of LED ZEPPELIN bassist John Paul Jones when the musician posted an online update in April stating he hoped "to be everywhere this summer" with "a couple of other people" and "on some other music, which is more rock-based." This transpired to involve Dave Grohl of the FOO FIGHTERS and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme.

In fact the endeavour had been brewing since 2005, as confirmed in an interview with Mojo magazine by Dave Grohl. The three had guested with each other's acts previously, Grohl as session studio drummer for QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and Jones having sat in on FOO FIGHTERS concerts. A live rhythm guitarist was employed in Alain Johannes, of ELEVEN and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE repute.

In late July 2009 Jesse Hughes of EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, another of Homme's projects, revealed on an on-air radio interview the Jones / Grohl / Homme project was going by the name THEM CROOKED VULTURES. The debut album, originally to be titled 'Never Deserved The Future', was set for release on 23rd October via Interscope Records.

Speculation suggested the group was scheduled to make its live debut on Sunday 9th August at the Metro club in Chicago as part of a 'Lollapalooza' festival afterparty when an image promoting the event surfaced on the eTix.com web site, with the artwork featuring a symbol that corresponded to each musician in the group. The showcomprised an 80 minute set of completely original material. The trio made its European debut on 19th August with a concert in Melkweg, Netherlands.

THEM CROOKED VULTURES put in subsequent European festival performances in at the 'Pukkelpop' and 'Lowlands' events, after which the band first played in the United Kingdom at London's Brixton Academy supporting ARCTIC MONKEYS on 26th August 26. The group then featured on the bill at the Reading and Leeds Festivals on 28th and 29th August.

THEM CROOKED VULTURES officially kicked off its inaugural North American tour, dubbed 'Deserve The Future', on 5th October in Nashville. UK dates completely sold out with quarter of an hour. The opening album was preceded by the single 'New Fang', on 26th October, and a free download, 'Mind Eraser (No Chaser)', on 3rd November.

The band's self-titled and self-produced debut album, recorded at Pink Duck studios in Los Angeles, was in finally stores on 17th November via DGC/Interscope Records in the USA and Sony Music internationally. As a download, the set had been issued via Youtube on 9th November. Customers who ordered the album via iTunes also gained two bonus tracks, live versions of 'No One Loves Me & Neither Do I' and 'Gunman'. 

The debut album sold 70,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at no. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Garry Sharpe-Young