Entertainment

Rolling Stones to unveil details of first album of original songs since 2005

Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones (Suzan Moore/PA)
Ronnie Wood, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones (Suzan Moore/PA)

The Rolling Stones will unveil details of their first studio album of original music since 2005 at an event in London on Wednesday.

Their new LP Hackney Diamonds will be their first collection of original songs in 18 years, and the first since the death of the band’s long-time drummer Charlie Watts in August 2021.

Their last album of new material was 2005’s A Bigger Bang. The band’s last studio album, released in 2016, was called Blue & Lonesome and comprised blues covers.

Band members Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood will be interviewed about the new material on Wednesday in Hackney, east London, by US talk show host Jimmy Fallon.

The new music has been teased online and in an advert in the Hackney Gazette, which appeared to be for a fictional glass repair business.

The advert included a website and a phone number, which when called, responded with the automated message: “Welcome to Hackney Diamonds, specialists in glass repair: Don’t get angry, get it fixed. Opening early September, Mare Street, E8. Register for a call at hackneydiamonds.com. Come on then.”

The event with Fallon will be livestreamed on YouTube and the band said: “Hackney may be at the heart of Hackney Diamonds, but this is a truly global moment we want to share with fans around the world via YouTube.”

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards statue unveiled
The Glimmer Twins statue of Rolling Stones Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards created by sculptor Amy Goodman at One Bell Corner in Dartford, Essex (Yui Mok/PA)

Fans can watch the interview on YouTube in a live-stream that is scheduled for 2.30pm.

The Rolling Stones formed in the early 1960s. Beforehand Sir Mick, 80, and Richards, 79, had been in a blues band and became regular faces at a jazz club in Ealing Broadway.

Last year the Stones – Sir Mick and guitarists Richards and Wood – travelled through Europe for their 60th anniversary tour which featured stops in cities including Madrid, Milan and Munich, and also a performance at British Summer Time (BST) festival in London.

They were joined on tour by Steve Jordan on drums, following the death of Watts.