Rolling Stones tease new album with local newspaper advert

The Rolling Stones appear to have revealed the title of their new album with an advert for a fictional glass repair business in a local newspaper.

The ad, which appeared in the Hackney Gazette, referenced several of the band's best-known songs.

"Our friendly team promises you satisfaction," it read. "When you say gimme shelter we'll fix your shattered windows."

The band have yet to confirm the existence of their 31st studio album.

However, the advert contained several clues: A miniature version of the Stones' famous lips logo appeared as the dot above the letter i, and the glass repair business was established in 1962, the same year the band was formed.

The company's name, Hackney Diamonds, is believed to be the title of their new album - and uses the same font as the band's 1978 album Some Girls.

The phrase is local slang for broken glass - specifically the shards left on the ground after car and shop windows are smashed during a robbery.

The newspaper advert also features a phone number that customers can call to get a quote.

If they do, they hear a recorded message that says: "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 www.hackneydiamonds.com. Come on then."

The website offers fans the chance to join a mailing list, which is run by the Stones' record label, Universal Music.

The advert was first spotted by Simon Harper, founder of Clash Magazine, who posted it to X / Twitter, days after the paper went to press.

Editor Simon Murfitt told the BBC he only learned of the publicity stunt when readers wrote in asking for souvenir copies.

"Often you can't see the ads" when putting the paper together, he said. "On our page planner, it would just have said 'Universal Music'. So we had no idea what it was until it was published.

"It's normally more local businesses," he added.

A new Stones album would be their first since 2016's Blue and Lonesome, which was a collection of blues cover songs, and their first record of original material since A Bigger Bang in 2005.

It would also be the band's first release since the death of drummer Charlie Watts in August 2021 aged 80, after suffering throat cancer.

The star is known to have recorded new drum tracks with the band before his death.

"Let me put it this way," Guitarist Keith Richards recently told the Los Angeles Times, "you haven't heard the last of Charlie Watts."

He added that sessions for the album had taken longer than planned because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"If everything hadn't gotten closed down, we might've finished the damn thing," he said.

Singer Mick Jagger added: "We have a lot of tracks done, so when the tour's finished we'll assess where we are with that and continue."

Separately, it has been reported that bassist Bill Wyman was invited back to the band after three decades to record a tribute song for Watts.

In June, an unnamed source told The Sun newspaper: "Bill hasn't seen the band together for years, but always loved Charlie. This record's really a tribute to Charlie, so he couldn't say no."

It has also been rumoured that Paul McCartney and Elton John will appear on the album, which is being produced by Grammy winner Andrew Watt.

Rolling Stones podcast Hang Fire said an announcement about the album was due in September, with the release coming in October.

Murfitt says he's hoping for an exclusive interview with Jagger and Richards in the Hackney Gazette.

"I think we're owed it, aren't we? I'm looking forward to them calling us up."