The Rolling Stones have revealed that “Hackney Diamonds,” their first studio album since 2005, will be released soon after years of rumours and an uncharacteristically overt teaser campaign that involved the group’s iconic logo being projected onto famous buildings in New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and other major cities.
At an event in East London’s Hackney neighbourhood on Wednesday, the three group leaders, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ron Wood, will conduct a live interview with “Tonight Show” presenter Jimmy Fallon. The debut event will be hosted by and broadcast only on YouTube in every country.
Hackney Diamonds released a statement on Monday saying, “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.”
The band has been working on new music for many years, but “took a break” to record an album of blues standards that was published in 2016. At least one song is said to have Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the two surviving Beatles, on it.
The album will be the group’s first release following the death of founding member Charlie Watts in 2021. Watts performed at nearly all of the Rolling Stones’ recorded songs and had participated in all but one of the band’s thousands of live performances since the group’s inception in 1962. Last autumn, the band went on tour with drummer Steve Jordan.
The Stones have continued to tour throughout the 21st century even though several of its members are in their seventies, with Mick Jagger still having practically all of his vocal and physical vigour on July 26. Following Watts’ passing, the group resumed their ‘No Filter’ North American tour in the autumn of 2021 following a pandemic-related delay. Last year, the band celebrated its 60th anniversary by embarking on a multi-date ‘Sixty’ tour of Europe.