Rolling Stones open store in London despite pandemic

People queueing to enter The Rolling Stones' London store on opening day.
People queueing to enter The Rolling Stones' London store on opening day. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

LONDON • The Rolling Stones opened their first dedicated store in London's Carnaby Street on Wednesday, despite the coronavirus pandemic drastically reducing footfall and the number of tourists visiting the city.

RS No. 9 Carnaby sells clothes, merchandise, face masks and music, and features a video wall with a film of the band, a soundwave installation to represent part of the 1966 track, Paint It Black, and a super-sized version of the band's lips and tongue logo.

"Why would you open a shop during a pandemic? Well, you know, it's eternal optimism," said singer Mick Jagger.

"You could have put it off, I guess, till next year... but there will be a little bit of pick-up, I think. And people will be curious and people are out and about a bit more than they were," the 77-year-old added.

When asked why they chose Carnaby Street, a road synonymous with the swinging 1960s in London, Jagger said it is close to where the band used to work and rehearse.

This week, the Stones released a remastered version of their 1973 album Goats Head Soup, which contains unearthed tracks such as All The Rage.

In July, they released a previously lost track, Scarlet, recorded at guitarist Ronnie Wood's house in 1974 and featuring Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 11, 2020, with the headline Rolling Stones open store in London despite pandemic. Subscribe