Rod Stewart and Ron Wood treated themselves to a mini-reformation of the Faces at the Royal Albert Hall, a few minutes after crushing Donald Trump in the ear of King Charles III, microphone still open.
Rod Stewart and Ron Wood made international political news on May 11, when they were caught at an open mic trashing Donald Trump in front of King Charles III, just after the latter's visit to the United States. “Hello, sir, let me say: well done with the Americans”says Rod Stewart to the sovereign in the presentation queue at the Royal Albert Hall. “You were superb, absolutely superb. You put that little piece of trash in its place. »
But the two former members of the Faces also made their mark in the musical news that evening, by finding themselves on stage as part of the King's Trust anniversary concert to perform “Ooh La Laa” and “Good Rockin' Tonight” with the house band Jools Holland & His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. Ron Wood provided the bulk of the vocals on “Ooh La Laa”, as he did on the Faces' original 1973 recording, and Rod Stewart took lead on “Good Rockin' Tonight”, a track he recorded with Jools Holland in 2024 on their collaborative album Swing Fever.
The Prince's Trust is an organization founded by Charles III in 1976, which helps young people in economic difficulty across England. The Prince's Trust's first charity concert was held at the Royal Albert Hall in 1982, with performances by Kate Bush, Phil Collins, Pete Townshend, Madness and Robert Plant. Mick Jagger, Elton John, George Michael, Sting, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones and Mike and the Mechanics have since taken over in subsequent editions. The mini-reformation of the Faces was the highlight of the evening this year, which also featured Rita Ora, Craig David and Anne-Marie, as well as an appearance by George and Amal Clooney.
Rod Stewart and Ron Wood have been toying with the idea of recording a Faces reunion album with drummer Kenney Jones for years. In a recent interview with The Telegraphthe latter confided that eleven pieces had already been recorded. “Not everyone is necessarily cut out (for the album)”he explained. “But most of them are good. I don't see the album coming out this year. But I see it coming out next year. Everyone has their own commitments. We record little bits here and there. And all of a sudden, the Stones are going back on tour, Rod is going back too…”
Useful clarification: a Faces reunion album is, in classic rock, the equivalent of Donald Trump's health plan. It has been on the verge of existence for almost a decade. Every time the band members talk about it, they say it's about a year away from being released.
Kenney Jones is right about one thing: Rod Stewart has a busy schedule. He resumes his residency at Caesar's Palace on May 27, before performing in amphitheaters and arenas across North America during the summer, then returning to Las Vegas in August. However, he is wrong about the Stones tour: the group has not given a concert since July 2024, has given up on touring in Europe in 2025 and 2026 when venues were already an option, and has no plans at the moment to support their next album, Native Tongues.
In the meantime, Ron Wood has scheduled a handful of solo dates in Europe this summer. But he still has plenty left to return to the studio and complete this Faces album.
