Rhea Thompson sets record straight on Tailgunner departure

Tailgunner [L-R]: Bones, Rhea Thompson, Craig Cairns, Zach Salvini and Eddie Mariotti — (Image credit: Tunde Valiszka)

Rhea Thompson has set the record straight over her departure from Tailgunner, while it's been confirmed bass player Tom Hewson will be stepping back amidst recent allegations that have been leveled against him.

It’s a significant shake-up for Tailgunner, who impressed many – K.K. Downing included – with their fiery 2026 sophomore album, Midnight Blitz, which has guitar solos and classic heavy metal pomp galore.

Manchester, England-based guitarist Thompson joined the band following the release of their debut album, Guns for Hire, and has helped the band’s stock rise in recent years.

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It comes after Tailgunner issued a statement of their own, confirming Hewson would be taking a step back from the band after they were “made aware of recent allegations made against him”.

“I want to ensure my truth is told and set the record straight regarding the current situation with Tailgunner,” Thompson writes on social media. “I will not be addressing any details involving the allegations; however, I will confirm that, due to moral and ethical concerns, I am no longer playing for Tailgunner.

“This decision is something I wish I never would have had to make, but ultimately it was one I felt needed to be made.”

Thompson goes on to say that she “became aware through the band’s social media activity and later through word of mouth that I have been replaced for the upcoming shows this summer”.

“After many ignored communications, I initiated a call to discuss what was going on,” Thompson alleges. “At this point, I had never formally resigned. I just stated that I am not comfortable playing with the band under the current circumstances.

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“Due to the response from this, it became clear to me that stepping back was the only option, particularly as arrangements had already been made for the shows to move forward without my involvement,” she adds.

In a separate post, Tailgunner revealed that Hewson will not be working with the band in light of the allegations Thompson mentioned in her post.

“Tailgunner has been made aware of the recent allegations against Thomas,” it reads. “While he denies all wrongdoing, he will be stepping back from the band while this situation is properly addressed.

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“We as a band take this matter very seriously, and we approach it responsibly and respectfully towards everyone involved.”

The allegations have not publicly come to light at the time of writing.

The K.K. Downing-backed band told Guitar World they are flying the flag for old-school metal, and have appearances at Download Festival in the UK and Dynamo MetalFest in the Netherlands ahead of them. They’ll also be touring with Accept this winter.

The Judas Priest guitarist says the band has “an unashamed appreciation for what came before them” and helped mentor the band while producing Midnight Blitz.

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.