70s rockers tease new music and reunion tour is getting ‘closer and closer’
After a decade away from touring and making music, The Faces are inching ‘closer and closer’ to a reunion according to drummer Kenney Jones.
Faces shot to fame in 1971 with hit song Stay With Me, bolstered by the solo success of vocalist Rod Stewart, 79.
Kenney was a founding member of the group, which included Rod, Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane, and the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood.
The 76-year-old musician teased they talk about it ‘all the time’ and he would be incredibly keen to get out on tour with the remaining bandmates.
‘It’s always being talked about, all the time,’ Kenney told Mojo Magazine. ‘People want it more than we realise. So let’s put it this way, we’re getting closer and closer.’
The group last played together in 2020 for a one-off performance at the Brits but haven’t toured together since the death of McLagan in 2014.
Kenney, who is also the drummer for The Who, said this loss — along with that of Lane who died in 1997 — is still ’emotional’ when considering a reunion.
When asked about a possible tour, he shared: ‘What, are you going to rehearse for two or three weeks and just do one show? Nah. But the emotional side of it is the fact that Ronnie and Mac are not there.’
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend, conversations have been had about who could fill the late keyboardist’s shoes.
He revealed Steve Winwood, who is also a Hall of Famer and two-time Grammy winner, has been mentioned as a possible replacement.
‘It’d be lovely. Watch this space,’ Kenney shared.
Together, the band released four studio albums and are often cited as a huge influence on British punk rock bands like Sex Pistols.
Kenney — along with Lane and McLagan — started the band under the name Small Faces in 1969 but changed the name when original singer Steve Marriott left.
Rod and Ronnie joined from The Jeff Beck Group at this point and the band went on to release four studio albums as well as numerous compilation records.
The Faces have not released a studio album since 1973’s Oh La La, after which Lane exited the band and was replaced by Tetsu Yamauchi.
However, Kenney shared that he and Ronnie Wood have been in the studio together and there are around 10 or 11 new songs already recorded.
He said: ‘Some are great. Some are not. And we’re discovering [older] stuff all the time. I’ve got loads of my multi-tracks. I’ve got about 350, same with Woody.
‘So we’ve got to try and go in the studio and listen to it all and be inspired by other ideas. Also, if we can get some tracks together with Ronnie [Lane] and Mac on them, even better.’
The Beatles recently used AI to bring John Lennon’s voice, discovered on old cassette demos, onto a newly released track so this idea is not too far-fetched.
Kenney has previously shared how Rod has written some unreleased Faces songs but between his solo career and Ronnie’s time with the Rolling Stones, it’s been put on hold.
The Faces never formally split up but in 2021 it was reported the group had been back in the studio.
Slowly but surely, these 70s legends are ready to make us dance, sing, or anything.
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