Why did Josh Homme kick Chelsea Lauren, what injuries did the photographer suffer and has he apologised?
We take a look at why the Queens of the Stone Age star lashed out
THE lead singer of US rock band Queens of the Stone Age has been caught on camera kicking a female photographer in the face during a gig.
But why did Josh Homme lash out at Chelsea Lauren? Here's what we know...
When did Joshn Homme kick Chelsea Lauren?
On Saturday December 9, 2017 Queens of the Stone Age guitarist and vocalist Josh Homme was playing at an annual festival for radio station KROQ in Los Angeles.
Footage shows him slamming his foot into the face of a photographer Chelsea Lauren in the pit next to the stage.
Chelsea, who works for photo agency Shutterstock, said she spent the night in A&E and was still suffering a sore neck, a bruise on the eyebrow and nausea yesterday.
She wrote on Instagram: "Thanks to @joshhomme @queensofthestoneage I now get to spend my night in the ER. Seriously, WHO DOES THAT?!?"
Chelsea added: "Assault in any form is not okay, no matter what the reasoning."
The incident capped off a bizarre performance by Homme, who reportedly self-harmed on stage, encouraged the crowd to boo him and told everyone to take their pants off, saying: “I want to give you all a night you’ll never remember.”
Chelsea posted another picture in which Homme smiled as blood trickled down his face after he apparently stabbed himself in the forehead.
She wrote: "I was where I was allowed to be, I was not breaking any rules. I was simply trying to do my job."
Has Josh apologised for kicking Lauren?
Josh Homme has said sorry after the bizarre footage emerged.
He is insisting it was an accident as he was “lost in performance”.
Apologising for his actions, Homme wrote on Twitter: “I would never intentionally cause harm to anyone working at or attending one of our shows and I hope Chelsea will accept my sincere apology.”
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What do we know about Josh Homme?
Homme, 44, is known for his high-powered rock, and is a founding member both of Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal – although he was not in Paris when the latter band's concert was attacked by ISIS in 2015.
Based in the desert of south-eastern California, he is also a producer and collaborator, and worked with punk legend Iggy Pop on his latest album.