The Rolling Stones – Hackney Diamonds (Live) Review

A little gloss over Hackney Diamonds is all you need. The Rolling Stones were not firing on all cylinders during that album cycle. As much can be heard on the opening song, Angry, an exhaustive and thin-sounding experience. It would mark the start of a very underwhelming return to the studio for the Mick Jagger-fronted group. Their first batch of originals since A Bigger Bang, and the wait for better material would continue. Hackney Diamonds (Live) showcased an utterly crucial saving grace for the band. Their live efforts, even after the loss of long-serving drummer Charlie Watts, had not waned. Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood, are still in fine form. We may hope to see them back on the road soon enough but, if not, then Hackney Diamonds (Live) has a nice batch of songs, old and new, to rely on. Even Angry, that underwhelming first charge of the band’s 2023 album, sounds better on stage than it does in the studio.  

Seven songs that are introduced with Jagger going “yes, yes, yes,” as though to temper the expectations of an audience who want to throw themselves around to Shattered and Tumbling Dice. That’s exactly what it sounds like they’re doing. A few screams and shouts can be heard underneath the cool, blues-like riffs and rocking attitude Jagger so cooly brings to the stage. He’s a natural at this, to say the least. Catchy, hook-laden thrills on that opening performance of Shattered is exactly what The Rolling Stones needed to kickstart their on-stage return. “It’s great to be back, strange to be back,” is what Jagger makes of the show soon after the song is over. It is strange, to those listening years later and to those who were lucky enough to attend the show. What the band did with Hackney Diamonds was somewhat unremarkable. A compilation of leftovers, friends, and studio stagnation which has not been found on their follow-up, Foreign Tongues.  

Crucial to that reading is hearing how well the songs from Hackney Diamonds translate to a live show. Angry sounds solid enough, a nice bit of setlist filler though never a standout. Decent enough in a slightly higher key and a far more effective lead guitar. What Angry struggles with is the titular repetition and the request from Jagger not to make him angry. He wrote some of his best and worst material when infuriated, with his back against the wall. To request we leave him be is to ask he does not write a better song. At least those pleading cries towards the end are solid on-stage Jagger thrills. He still has a sharp voice and is putting it to good use on performances of Jumpin’ Jack Flash and Bite My Head Off.  

More than anything, Hackney Diamonds (Live) proves the band still has what it takes to put on a great show. They’ve released enough live material in the last few years, archival and contemporary, to prove that. But Hackney Diamonds (Live) highlights that, even when The Rolling Stones aren’t at the peak of their powers, there’s a chance to hear some excellent work from them. Be it a riff that should’ve made it onto the album or a punchier rendition of an otherwise underwhelming song, Jagger and the band are always a solid draw. If they were backed by stronger material, then it’d be that much sweeter, but the strength of their Whole Wide World performance is borderline jaw-dropping. Strong, strong work from the band on stage is a guarantee, and it makes up for the somewhat lacklustre studio efforts.