The Rolling Stones have discussed the late drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021, and disclosed information of their first album of original material since 2005.
The rockers announced today at a Hackney event that their new album Hackney Diamonds will be published on October 20.
They also debuted their new tune, Angry, at the event.
Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood were interviewed today in a livestreamed event from north London by US talk show legend Jimmy Fallon.
Their latest new material CD, A Bigger Band, was released 18 years ago, and their most recent cover album, Blue & Lonesome, recreated blues classics.
It is the band’s first album following the loss of Watts, the Rolling Stones’ long-time drummer, two years ago.
Sir Mick released two songs from the 12-track album, Mess It Up and Live By The Sword, that include Watts, who recorded them in 2019, two years before his death.
In the interview, Keith paid respect to Charlie, saying, ‘of course he’s missed,’ since he was their ‘number four,’ while the three of them sat there.
He also revealed that Charlie told them before he died that if ‘anything ever to happen to him’ then ‘Steve Jordan’s your man.’
‘It was a natural progression,’ added Keith. Steve has toured with the Stones since Watt’s death at festivals like BST Hyde Park.
A video for the event was previously published, in which the host previewed the interview in a hilarious skit about receiving a call from vocalist Mick, who is 80 years old.
The new song was also previewed in a Hackney Gazette advertisement for a fictitious glass repair firm.
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.’
Previously chatting about today’s event, 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.’
Sir Mick, 80, and Keith, 79, were members of a blues band that routinely performed at jazz clubs in Ealing Broadway before The Rolling Stones formed in the early 1960s.
Last year, the Stones celebrated their 60th anniversary with a European tour that included visits in Madrid, Milan, and Munich, as well as a performance at the British Summer Time (BST) festival in London.
Following Watts’ death, Steve Jordan joined the Stones as a drummer.
