During the Rolling Stones’ awkward interview with Jimmy Fallon as they announced their new album last month, Fallon asked what the title, Hackney Diamonds, means.
“It’s like when you get your windscreen broken on Saturday night in Hackney,” Mick Jagger replied, referring to the East London borough. “And all the bits go on the street … that’s Hackney Diamonds.”
With that in mind, the title could be seen as a sly callback to Sticky Fingers, a bold reference for a band that many have accused of coasting and trading on nostalgia for at least the last 40 years. (That’s a long coast.) But for those who still find a lot to love from 1983’s Undercover to 2005’s A Bigger Bang, Hackney Diamonds will offer plenty of moments to hold up as evidence that the boys still have it.
