The Rolling Stones unveil their new album, “Hackney Diamonds”

When the Rolling Stones released “Beggars Banquet” in 1968, the band had an unusual way to attract attention: a surprise food fight.

At the end of a feast with journalists at a luxury London hotel, Mick Jagger celebrated the record, which includes “Sympathy for the devil” And “Street fighter man,” by Cream pie smash In the face of guitarist Brian Jones. The action quickly took off from there, with band members and guests throwing food at each other, leaving their faces drenched in cream.

On Wednesday, Jagger, 80, Keith Richards, 79, and Ronnie Wood, 76 — the three current members of the band — promoted their new album, “Hackney Diamonds,” in a somewhat more subdued manner: with Live broadcast on YouTube Hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

“Hackney Diamonds” is named after an old British slang word referring to shards of glass left behind after a break-in, and will be released on October 20.

Richards, wearing a hat and sunglasses, said live streaming was the “holy grail”, but recording albums was “a place where young people can come together and exchange ideas without any interference”.

“When it works, it’s great,” he said.

Jagger, wearing a plaid jacket, said he “didn’t want to be a big head, but we wouldn’t have put out this album if we didn’t really love it.” He then added that he hopes the band’s fans will like it too. “I’ll drink to that,” Wood said, raising his glass.

After the 20-minute event, the band premiered the video for the album’s first single, “Angry,” featuring Sydney Sweeney. Jagger has previously said that the album contains many songs about anger and disgust.

The luncheon was held at Hackney EmpireAn old theater in the trendy area of ​​Hackney, London. Fallon, who was sitting in front of a broken version of the band’s Lips logo and near three broken chandeliers, interviewed the group in front of an audience of journalists and invited guests, though questions were not allowed on the floor.

The anticipated 12-track “Hackney Diamonds” is the group’s first album of original material since the release of “A Bigger Bang” in 2005, and the first since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021. Two of the songs were recorded in 2019 with Watts, Jagger said, including the song “Live by the Sword,” which he described as “retro.”

Richards said the band was distinctly different without Watts. “It’s No. 4, he’s missing, he’s there. Of course he’s incredibly missed. He said Watts recommended the band’s new drummer, Steve Jordan, and that moving forward “would have been a lot harder without Charlie’s blessing.”

Jagger joked about the long delay before this album’s release, saying that the band – known for their extensive touring – were a bit “lazy”, and that the group needed a deadline. He added that they forced themselves into the studio in December. “We cut 23 tracks very quickly and finished them in January, and mixed them in February.”

Fans of the Stones, which formed in 1962 and has become one of rock’s most enduring acts, have been waiting for a new album since 2016’s Blue & Lonesome, which featured dozens of blues songs. Jagger he told the Los Angeles Times in October 2021 That “Hackney Diamonds” would have been over a long time ago if it weren’t for the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, the Stones teased the album via Advertisement for a fake glass repair company, called Hackney Diamonds, which appeared in a London newspaper. The ad copy references several of the band’s famous songs: “Our friendly team promises satisfaction. When you say give me shelter, we’ll fix your broken windows.”

In the interview with Fallon, the band said other album titles they considered were “Hit and Run” and “Smash and Grab.”

Philip Norman, who wrote “The Stones,” a major biography of the band, said in an interview that the launch party was far from the band’s raucous image of the 1960s and 1970s, but succeeded in giving its members a “tear-drop” atmosphere. By being held in the most fashionable area of ​​London. Norman said it was a “typical Stones fake-out”, because the band had no previous association with Hackney.

Even though the stones said “Hackney Diamonds” Represents a “new era” Norman said he was expecting the classic Stones sound. “These are the stones we know and that some of us have loved for the past six decades,” he said.

The live broadcast sparked interest online (at points 53,000 people watched live), but there was less buzz on the streets of Hackney on Wednesday. Before the unannounced event, a few dozen fans waited outside the stage to catch a glimpse of the band walking the red carpet.

Sam Bolan, 42, a marketing manager, said that two months after seeing a school play at the Empire Theatre, he went back to see “the original rock and roll band”.

The enthusiasm was not unanimous. As the crowd grew to see the band, three female students passing by asked what was happening. “I think I’ve heard of them,” said Anya Morrison, 16, who was told they were the Rolling Stones. Then she took the bus home.