The Rolling Stones’ ‘new album’ is nearly done and a European tour could be in the works

A new album from legendary rock band The Rolling Stones is “nearly done” and a European tour could be in the works.

The alleged album was spoken of by Keith Richards‘ son, who says the Mick Jagger-fronted group are hard at work on a Hackney Diamonds follow-up. The Grammy Award-winning album would be the last to feature longtime drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021. Guest appearances from The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and Elton John were included on the award-winning album. While The Rolling Stones would tour the new work in the United States, a planned tour of the UK in 2025 was reportedly scrapped. Offers for a tour were later moved to next year, which is believed to be the year Jagger and the band get back on the road, and with a new album no less.

Marlon Richards, the actor and producer, claimed Jagger, Richards, and Ronnie Wood were hard at work in the studio. Speaking to Record Collector Magazine, he said the trio are recording in Chiswick, London, and had a tour planned. He said: “They’re in town right now, recording.

“They’re in Chiswick [West London] or somewhere like that; I think they’re nearly done. They still maintain these ridiculous hours: after lunch until, like, two in the morning. I’d rather be somewhere else at that time of night! Unless you’re in it, it’s pretty boring.”

When pressed for what particularly the group were working on, Richards replied: “I guess an album – they have enough left over from the last one. They gave them a Grammy, so now they’re all hyped up on that: ‘Oh, yeah – we can do another one like that! We’ve got more like that if you want…’. I think they’re doing the follow-up.”

He then added that there was a possible tour in the works, too. He said: “I think they’re planning a tour of Europe.”

In an interview with Reuters last year, Jagger confirmed there were enough songs recorded during the Hackney Diamond sessions to make another album. He said: “We’ve got a lot more, so I think we may be set up to make another album quite soon.”

The tour allegedly planned for this year would have seen the band perform in London, Paris, Barcelona, and Rome, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons. A rumoured show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London would have hosted the band’s first hometown show since their Hyde Park gig in 2023.

It’s not the first time The Rolling Stones has had to cancel a tour, with the band once scrapping a series of dates set to promote Dirty Work. Jagger said at the time: “Touring Dirty Work would have been a nightmare. It was a terrible period. Everyone was hating each other so much; there were so many disagreements. It was very petty; everyone was so out of their brains, and Charlie was in seriously bad shape.

“When the idea of touring came up, I said, ‘I don’t think it’s gonna work.’ In retrospect I was a hundred percent right. It would have been the worst Rolling Stones tour. Probably would have been the end of the band.”