Aerosmith 'to hold singer auditions'

Aerosmith have announced that they will hold auditions next month in a bid to find a replacement for singer Steven Tyler.

The frontman checked into rehab in December to combat his addiction to painkillers.

While Tyler dismissed rumours that he intends to go solo, guitarist Joe Perry has since confirmed that the rockers are now looking to enlist a new singer so they can get back on the road.

Perry told QMI that the group are going to "start having some auditions, making some phone calls. Hopefully, we'll have found a new singer by the summer, and Aerosmith will be able to go back out on the road".

He added that the decision does not signal Tyler's exit from the band, saying: "[Tyler] has to have leg surgery and foot surgery and it's basically going to take him out of the picture for about a year, year and a half.

"So, in the meantime, the rest of the band wants to play. And I want to play with the other guys in Aerosmith. So the four of us are just making our plans. We're gonna find somebody to get in there and fill that spot."