The Who fire Zak Starkey again, a month after rehiring the drummer

British rock band The Who have once again fired their drummer, Zak Starkey, who has been with the group since 1996, a month after kicking him out of the group and then backtracking. The announcement was made on Instagram.

"After many years of excellent drumming from Zak, the time has come for a change," the post, signed by the band's guitarist Pete Townshend, reads. "A poignant moment. Zak has many new projects on the horizon, and I wish him the best."

Starkey, in turn, denied Townshend's version. He claims to have been fired from the group two weeks after being reinstated, and that they asked him to say he was leaving to focus on other projects.

"Which would be a lie," the drummer wrote. "I love The Who and would never have left. Leaving the band would also have disappointed the many amazing people who supported me during these weeks of chaos." He also said that he always had other projects running alongside the band, and that this never interfered with his dedication to The Who.

The drummer was fired in April, allegedly due to a disagreement between the band members after a charity concert in London last month. According to the Metro portal, the group's vocalist, Roger Daltrey, made comments criticizing Starkey's performance during the show.

On the last song, "The Song Is Over," the singer told the audience, "To sing this song, I need to hear the key, and I can't. All I have is the drums going 'boom, boom, boom.' I can't sing that. Sorry, guys."

The concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall for an event by Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT), an organisation for which Daltrey is a patron.

A few days later, the band reinstated the drummer. "Zak was not asked to leave The Who," wrote bandleader Pete Townshend. "There were some personal and private communication issues on all sides that needed to be resolved, and these have thankfully been cleared up."

Starkey is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Maureen Starkey. He has also played for the band Oasis.