TOKYO (AFP) - Grunge veterans Foo Fighters are channelling their inner Rick Astley with a bold new record the American rockers describe as their "weirdest" yet.

While their DNA is rooted in the Seattle grunge scene of the early 1990s, the band told AFP that turning to British pop diva Adele's award-winning producer Greg Kurstin for their ninth studio album, Concrete And Gold, brought a fresh dimension to their sound.

In an interview before headlining the Summer Sonic festival in Tokyo - where they invited Astley on stage for an improbable mash-up of the 1980s pin-up's Never Gonna Give You Up and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit - Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett said: "People think it's a really weird choice for us to work with a pop producer, but it made perfect sense.

"There's so much more to Greg and his love of music and knowledge base than just the pop stuff."

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, the former Nirvana drummer, chose him to replicate the alchemy he has with Adele, this time with a gnarly rock band.

Due out next month, the new album combines thunderous guitar riffs with lush, harmonic textures. Beatles legend Paul McCartney also plays drums on one track among several other guest turns, including Alison Mosshart of The Kills.