Måneskin recruits Jimmy Fallon to play bass

(Image credit: The Tonight Show)

Eurovision stars Måneskin took to the Tonight Show stage last Friday (May 19) to perform their new single, Supermodel.

However, bassist Victoria De Angelis, otherwise known as 'Vic', couldn't perform due to illness, so host Jimmy Fallon took matters into his own hands and filled in.

Taking on the role as temporary bassist, Fallon sported a new rockstar-inspired look consisting of a shaggy blonde wig, eyeshadow and a red jacket, and performed the single alongside the remaining members of the band.

"This is a true story, their bass player Vic couldn't be here because she got sick," explains Fallon in a video, released before the performance. "She's fine. But they needed a bass player, so that asked me if I could play. This is true, it happened this morning about 11 o'clock. [I was like] 'How do you play it? What is it? I don't know.'"

Although Fallon doesn't specialise in bass, he has been known to play the guitar, so learning the song presumably wasn't too difficult. The introductory video even shows him playing the song's lick on the bass.

"I said, 'I can do this. I can rock that. And I can go loud.' So I'm going to do this for Vic. I'm gonna do this for rock 'n' roll. I'm gonna do this for the world!"

Supermodel was released earlier last week, and was debuted live on this year's instalment of the Eurovision Song Contest, which the quartet won in 2021 with 524 points.

Speaking of the song's origins, they explain: "We wrote Supermodel after spending the best few months in LA. At times we were surprised yet intrigued to find how people cared so much about the idea of “celebrity” and status, obsessing over their looks and connections.

“We started to imagine an enigmatic Supermodel character. She is really cool, fun and social, yet in reality she is troubled, hiding sadness and addiction. In a way you love her, because she knows how to have a good time, but you also want to avoid her, because she might get you into trouble."

Watch the performance below:

Back in March, the Italian rockers announced their rescheduled world tour, now scheduled to kick off in October. The expansive trek will come to an end on May 23, 2023.

“The Loud Kids Get Louder tour will actually see our very first headline tour in North America," said the band. "All rescheduled European indoor dates have been upgraded due to demand and we’ve added some new ones for all of you who missed the chance to get their tickets.

“Also we really want to thank you for being so understanding during this long period as we got this in place. We know you’ve been waiting patiently for this announcement, and we feel very grateful towards all our beloved fans for your love, support and understanding. We missed you and we missed performing, and we can not wait to play for you all again!”

Liz manages Louder's social media channels and works on keeping the sites up to date with the latest news from the world of rock and metal. Prior to joining Louder as a full time staff writer, she completed a Diploma with the National Council for the Training of Journalists and received a First Class Honours Degree in Popular Music Journalism. She enjoys writing about anything from neo-glam rock to stoner, doom and progressive metal, and loves celebrating women in music.