“I would love to do another album and I may try to bully him on that": Pete Townshend on future Who plans and the possibility of new music

Pete Townshend has promised that the Who will definitely “do something” next year.

The guitarist was talking to The Standard but was vague on whether this means gigs, a new album or a reissue of some description. However, he did reveal that he and Roger Daltrey had recently met up and discussed future plans.

"I met with Roger for lunch a couple of weeks ago,” he said. “We're in good form. We love each other. We're both getting a bit creaky, but we will definitely do something next year."

On the issue of new music it seems the two remaining Who members are still divided. "The album side of it… Roger's not keen. But I would love to do another album and I may try to bully him on that."

Townshend did hint that any gigs might be stripped-down back-to-basics affairs. "The last big tours that we've done have been with a full orchestra, which was glorious, but we're now eager to make a noise and make a mess and make mistakes," he said.

The last Who album, simply entitled Who, came out at the end of 2019. It was well received, but sold modestly, and Daltrey was left somewhat chastened by the experience.

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When asked by the NME in 2023 about the possibility of new Who music, the frontman laughed: “What’s the point? What’s the point of records? We released an album four years ago, and it did nothing. It’s a great album too, but there isn’t the interest out there for new music these days. People want to hear the old music. I don’t know why, but that’s the fact.”

The Standard interview sees Townshend sound off about the importance of arts funding, an issue that’s close to his heart as an Ealing School of Art alumnus.

“If there’s a drum to bang, it’s more critical now than it’s ever been in my lifetime: it’s the lack of subsidies for the arts (and) the lack of recognition of the value of the arts," he says. "Music is being undercut in normal schools (as is) dancing, writing, painting, poetry, everything. We’re in a crisis and I understand that we haven’t got any money but, you know, they should first fix the potholes then they can open some more universities.”

And the 79-year-old guitarist also has an interesting take on the upcoming Oasis reunion. “Well, I’m disappointed,” he says of the Gallaghers’ return. It’s not because he wasn’t able to get a ticket either: “No, because I really like their solo albums,” he says.