The Rolling Stones have unveiled details of their much anticipated new album, Hackney Diamonds – and lead single Angry – at a star-studded press conference in London.
Mick Jagger, Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards shared details at an event on Tuesday hosted by US presenter Jimmy Fallon in Hackney, east London – after many hints about the album in recent weeks.
“I don’t want to be big-headed but we wouldn’t have put this album out if we hadn’t really liked it,” Sir Mick told the audience. “We said we had to make a record we really love ourselves. We are quite pleased with it, we are not big-headed about it, but we hope you all like it.”
The trio said the album had been made quite quickly after getting together in December last year. They decided on the name, they said, after thinking of titles to do with “Hit And Run, Smash And Grab” and choosing the London slang as “a London band”.
This is the band’s first album of original songs in 18 years and their first release since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021 – they paid tribute to him, saying it would have been “a lot harder” to make the record without his blessing.
Richards agreed with Fallon that making albums – and touring – are the “Holy Grail” of being a music artist as he discussed what it was like to get back into the studio with his bandmates.
“It is fun, it is where a band can come together, playing live is the other Holy Grail, but to record is where the guys can come together and pass around ideas without any interference. It’s a great place for a band to work it all out,” he said.
Asked if they think about how fans will react to their music, Richards added: “No, we just cross our fingers.”
The advert for ‘Hackney Diamonds’ in the Hackney Gazette. Pic: via Reuters
Fans of The Rolling Stones were first alerted in August by an advert placed in the Hackney Gazette, supposedly for a glass repair store, featuring lyrics from the band’s best-known hits.
The advert also included a website and phone number, leading to a recorded message with a greeting from a male voice, with a Cockney accent, which said: “Welcome to Hackney Diamonds, specialists in glass repair. Don’t get angry, get it fixed.”
Over the weekend, another website – dontgetangrywithme.com – also appeared, with details of today’s event confirmed on Monday.
The Rolling Stones perform in Berline during their 2022 European tour. Pic: AP
“New album, new music, new era,” the band promised, revealing a short video skit featuring Fallon being summoned to the UK via a “Stones phone”.
The Rolling Stones formed in the early 1960s and have had eight number one singles in the UK, including (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Paint It Black, and Honky Tonk Women.
In 1989, they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and they marked their 60th anniversary with a European tour in 2022, covering 10 countries including a performance at British Summer Time (BST) festival at London’s Hyde Park.