Townshend writing new musical

Pete Townshend is using his break from the band while singer Roger Daltrey embarks on a solo tour to writie a new musical, it has emerged.

The Who rocker says 'Floss' is similar in style to his previous rock operas 'Tommy' and 'Quadrophenia', with a subject matter close to his own life.

He explained on his blog: "While Roger Daltrey exercises his ageing vocal chords by embarking on a two-month ‘Use It Or Lose It’ solo tour, my focus is on 'Floss', which touches on the current issues faced by the Baby Boomer generation.

"As a 19-20 year old, with 'My Generation', I wrote the most explicitly ageist song in rock. At 64, I now want to take on ageing and mortality, using the powerfully angry context of rock 'n' roll.

"In this case the songs are interspersed with surround-sound 'soundscapes' featuring complex sound-effects and musical montages. 'Floss' will be a son-et-lumiere musical piece, intended for outdoor performance, or arenas."

The 64-year-old singer says ‘'Floss' – which will focus on the difficult relationship between a suddenly-wealthy rock musician and his wife – will first be performed in 2011 but the band will precede the show with a new album.

He added on TheWho.com: "Several of the more conventional songs from 'Floss' will be featured on a forthcoming Who recording for release in 2010."

The album will be the follow-up to 2006's 'Endless Wire'.