Latest news with #SmallFaces
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
‘We drank to excess and had debauched sex parties – but one drug split the band'
Sir Rod is getting the band back together for Glasto's Legends slot. But the last time Rod, Ronnie Wood and Kenney Jones played in the Faces, they were more famous for their partying than hits It will have been 55 years since old Faces Sir Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood were on stage together, when they reunite for the Legends slot on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage next weekend. Back then, they were in the Faces with drummer Kenney Jones, before Rod left for his solo career and the band split in 1975. In the 1970s, the Faces were just as well known for their drinking, drug-taking and debauchery with groupies in the 'Party Room' as they were for their hits. And their concerts were either brilliant or shambolic, depending on the amount of alcohol and drugs they'd consumed Yet, despite this excess, Sir Rod, 80, Ronnie, 77, and 76-year-old Kenney are still going strong. In the five decades or so since they played hits like Stay With Me and Had Me A Real Good Time, the faces of the Faces have changed… a lot. Originally called the Small Faces, the line-up in 1969 was guitarist singer Steve Marriott, bassist Ronnie Lane, drummer Kenney Jones and organist Jimmy Winston, who was replaced by Ian 'Mac' McLagan on keyboards. Very much a 1960s pop band, they mimed along to their charttoppers like Sha-La-La-La-Lee, Itchycoo Park and Lazy Sunday on Top Of The Pops and were popular with teenyboppers. But they were also getting a reputation for their acid trips and hard partying, especially when hanging out with The Who and Rolling Stones. In his 2018 autobiography Let The Good Times Roll, drummer Kenney recalls a six-date tour where the late Keith Moon provided the outrageous entertainment back at the hotel. He writes: 'Lying on my bed, beginning to drift off, I heard a strange scratching sound coming from beneath the desk up against my wall. Got to be mice, I thought. 'The noise grew louder. As I got up to investigate properly, there was a loud crunch, followed by an explosion of dust and clattering of bricks., 'I bent down to take a look under the desk, and found myself staring into the bulging eyes of Keith. 'Fancy a drink, Ken?' Another time Keith was told to move his purple Rolls-Royce when he arrived at a hotel and drove it straight through their front door, right up to the desk. 'He threw the keys at the startled receptionist and said, 'Can you park this please.' The Small Faces fell apart when lead singer Steve Marriott, fed-up with trying to shake off their pop image, walked off stage on New Year 's Eve in 1968, yelling: 'I quit,' and formed Humble Pie with Peter Frampton. When the remaining members of the band met Rod in a pub in 1969, he was a fresh-faced 24-year-old singer known as 'Rod the Mod'. He and guitarist Ronnie Wood quit the Jeff Beck Group to join Ronnie Lane, Mac and Kenney, and dropped the Small to rename themselves the Faces. Kenney recalls the band being great mates who loved to play pranks on each other. 'We were like naughty boys whenever we had the chance,' writes Kenney. 'One of the things you learned from the very early days of touring with the Faces was never fall asleep on a plane. 'Ronnie Lane made that mistake. Once. When we were coming back from Scotland on a private jet, he received the butter treatment – knobs of it delicately placed in his hair while he snoozed.' But it was the sex-parties the Faces became infamous for while on tour. ''Party back at our hotel!' Rod's announcement at the end of gigs wasn't the least bit subtle,' writes Kenney. 'It was an invitation to the girls looking for some fun. How many Faces, roadies and girls could we pack into one motel room? Answer, well over a hundred. 'It was a huge pain if the party formed in your room. So we paid for an extra suite, and designated it the 'Party Room'. 'After each gig, we could take our time, have a shower, get changed and one by one make our way to the Party Room. The fans would be there already, and it really was a case of walking in, having a few drinks, taking your pick of the girls and disappearing to your own room. 'An hour later, the others were most likely back at party HQ for a second sitting.' But their hedonistic reputation soon spread. 'When playing gigs in southern US states, we'd be met at the airport by the Country Sheriff plus a police escort,' writes Kenney, saying the police were protecting innocent citizens from the excesses of rock and roll. Ronnie, now 77, also wrote in the Faces' biography: 'We were the sponsors of Holiday Inn and Marriott, and anywhere we could get banned from. We used to call them the Holiday Out. 'We used to check in as Fleetwood Mac – no hotel chain would have the Faces because of the damage and madness that went on. 'Half the audience would come back with us to the hotel. We would party with whoever was there and they'd all end up staying with us.' In 1973, a disenfranchised Ronnie Lane quit the Faces, and was replaced by Japanese bass player Tetsu Yamauchi. 'Testsu was talented… but he was basically a bottle of Teacher's whisky on the stage. You just lifted his head and filled him with scotch.' But all good things come to an end, according to Kenney, who recognised by 1975: 'We were drifting apart. Rod was spending more time on his solo career, and when we did get together, drink and drugs were adversely impacting our performances more than before. Where previously we'd all been half cut on stage, now we were screwing up. 'Booze played its part, but it wasn't the primary problem. When we were together, the alcohol intake was pretty even across the band – bucket loads. 'Drugs, coke specifically, was the real issue. Rod wasn't interested and neither was I. But Mac and Woody, they were all over the white powder, which would keep them up for days.' In 1975, Rod moved to LA with his girlfriend Britt Ekland. 'We now had a transatlantic gap adding to our problems. Telephone calls took an hour to step up. 'Then Woody announced that the Stones had asked him to fill in for Mick Taylor, who'd quit,' writes Kenney. That September, the band and wives and girlfriends reunited in Hawaii. But a mix-up at the hotel caused a falling out with an Aussie singer and her husband manager, and the Faces played a joke on them before Rod and Britt checked out to let them have their suite. 'Messing with hotel rooms was a Faces speciality,' says Kenney. 'Rod and Britt's suite was the target. The telephone was dismantled, dimes put in the lamp socket, so they would blow when turned on, towels down the loo, the bed rigged to collapse as soon as someone sat on it.' A punch-up afterwards in the hotel lobby had the police turning up, and the band legged it for the airport. But the hi-jinx were getting out of hand - with Mac even chopping up Steinway pianos with an axe on stage! 'When it finally came, the split was unavoidable. Rod loved being a Face, but having to deal with Mac and Woody being out of their trees all the time eventually became too much.' Many of the old Faces are no longer here. Sadly Ronnie Lane died in 1997 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Dogged by cocaine and alcohol addiction for years, Marriot died, aged 44, in a house fire in 1991, and keyboardist Mac died in 2014 following a stroke. Meanwhile, Kenney replaced his old mate Keith Moon in The Who in 1978 after his death, Ronnie stuck with the Stones, and Rod went on to be one of the best-selling solo artists of all time. The Faces reformed a number of times before finally coming together again in 2015 at Rod's private 70th birthday party. In a birthday speech, Rod said: 'Being in the Faces was a mad and brilliant time for all of us and although we don't have Ronnie and Mac with us any more, this is our chance to remember them and say Had Me a Real Good Time.' Then in 2021 Jones, Stewart and Wood announced they were recording new music for an album due to be released in 2026 – their first in over 50 years. Rod also revealed recently that he was reuniting with Ronnie and Kenney to work on a new documentary. Rod himself looks set for a busy 80th year, as he embarks on a world tour. He says: 'I enjoy going on tour now more than ever, at this ripe old age of 80. "I'm doing seven concerts in Vegas and then I am around the world. You have got to be fit to do it. "I would probably die if I didn't do it. I have seen so many guys that have to give up and retire and they have nothing to wake up in the morning for." Their Faces may be a bit wrinklier now, but Rod, Ronnie and Kenney are still rocking!
The Guardian
08-06-2025
- The Guardian
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a youth hostel to give their parents a break
I've never been in a band. But I have been to a youth hostel with four babies, which is sort of the same thing. Everywhere we turned there was singing, selfies, strangers coming up to us in the street and women getting their boobs out – it was the Small Faces, but with actual small faces. My God, how I love youth hostels. In all their strange, intergenerational, shared washing-up sponges and boot-room glory, they are the best of us. You can keep your sponsored hotel stays and luxury apartments as far as I'm concerned. Give me a fluorescent-lit kitchen with five electric hobs and a roll of stickers to label your milk any day. Sharing a single room designed for eight people with three breastfeeding mothers and four – count them – four dribbling infants meant that our entire stay cost everyone just £40 a night, and I got to fall asleep to the soundtrack of polyphonic suckling. I had a sea view, a mattress on the floor; there was an en suite shower and a sink in which to wash out approximately 6kg of sand from my daughter's bum cheeks. But aside from the bunk beds and drying rooms and the donated surplus food left in the kitchen, what I really love about youth hostels is their pure, socially democratic, unlikely mishmash of guests. Where else do you find groups of teenagers feasting on bangers and mash sitting opposite a white-haired military veteran in a sports jacket and racing-green tie? Where else do you get to share your holiday with a family from the Philippines cooking pasta and sardines right beside a white guy in his 20s microwaving a sweet potato and doing calisthenics? Where else will you find a grand, wood-panelled living room in which an elderly couple in pale blue linen are FaceTiming their children as your friend Miranda changes a nappy on a coffee table? The history of youth hostels in this country is far more radical than the board games and fried eggs might suggest. After the first world war and the economic uncertainty of the 1930s, the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) bought up a large number of stately houses and country estates that had previously been the playgrounds of wealthy aristocrats. In doing so, the YHA was able to – as it put it on its website – 'give young working people an unprecedented opportunity to spend leisure time in fresh air and open countryside, on a scale only previously possible for the wealthy'. Suddenly working-class families, children from choked and dirty cities, pensioners, faith groups, students, and even four sleep-deprived women in snap-open bras and their babies were able to enjoy the benefits of nature, fresh air and grand architecture. The four of us swam in the nearby sea and, as some of the country's most landlocked women, even rejoiced in dipping our inland infants' toes in the water (pray for the Dorset sewage level). We ate chips on the pier, dodged gulls and woke in the morning to the sight of cliffs rather than our usual curtains. What's more, the size of those private rooms, with their bunk beds and plentiful bathrooms, means you can avoid that great collective washout: the family holiday. I love my husband and my blood relatives, but I had such a fun time being able to go away with three other women in the same circumstances and life stage as me; to happily share the logistics and labour of childcare and cooking; to have other people around when I wanted to shower or sneak out to the shop; to enjoy constant company without the very familiarity that leads to most family mealtimes being an extended conversation about either Minecraft or the price of buses. We chatted to other guests about their own first forays into youth hostelling with small children, and I was politely asked to budge my prostrate daughter across the floor a little so others could access the freezer. As Britain's busiest holiday time approaches and my Instagram feed fills up with media millennials touting their sponsored stays in three-figure hotels and live reels in ball and claw baths, you'll instead find me stomping through fields to a former mansion. Nell Frizzell is a journalist and author
The Advertiser
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood to reunite for Glastonbury set
Rod Stewart has confirmed he will reunite with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for his set at Glastonbury Festival. The 80-year-old singer is filling the coveted Legends slot at the music event, which is being headlined by British pop/rock band The 1975, Neil Young and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo. Faces, who were known for hits including Stay With Me, formed in 1969 following the split of Small Faces. Asked if he keeps in touch with The Rolling Stones' members and "other people in music" while on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Stewart said: "Not really. Woody (Wood) I do a lot, just recently, because we're going to do Glastonbury together. "Elton, sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to, I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore, and Woody doesn't drink, and I still do. They stay away from me. Bad influence." He also told the podcast: "I've done it (Glastonbury) before. I did it in 2002 but this is on the legend stage. "I was only supposed to play for an hour and a quarter, but I've asked them 'Please, another 15 minutes' because I play for over two hours every night and it's nothing, but yeah, looking forward to it." Faces released four studio albums and toured regularly until 1975, when the band split up and Stewart went on to pursue a solo recording career. Earlier in the week the veteran British rockstar was presented with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by five of his children at the American Music Awards. Rod Stewart has confirmed he will reunite with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for his set at Glastonbury Festival. The 80-year-old singer is filling the coveted Legends slot at the music event, which is being headlined by British pop/rock band The 1975, Neil Young and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo. Faces, who were known for hits including Stay With Me, formed in 1969 following the split of Small Faces. Asked if he keeps in touch with The Rolling Stones' members and "other people in music" while on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Stewart said: "Not really. Woody (Wood) I do a lot, just recently, because we're going to do Glastonbury together. "Elton, sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to, I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore, and Woody doesn't drink, and I still do. They stay away from me. Bad influence." He also told the podcast: "I've done it (Glastonbury) before. I did it in 2002 but this is on the legend stage. "I was only supposed to play for an hour and a quarter, but I've asked them 'Please, another 15 minutes' because I play for over two hours every night and it's nothing, but yeah, looking forward to it." Faces released four studio albums and toured regularly until 1975, when the band split up and Stewart went on to pursue a solo recording career. Earlier in the week the veteran British rockstar was presented with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by five of his children at the American Music Awards. Rod Stewart has confirmed he will reunite with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for his set at Glastonbury Festival. The 80-year-old singer is filling the coveted Legends slot at the music event, which is being headlined by British pop/rock band The 1975, Neil Young and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo. Faces, who were known for hits including Stay With Me, formed in 1969 following the split of Small Faces. Asked if he keeps in touch with The Rolling Stones' members and "other people in music" while on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Stewart said: "Not really. Woody (Wood) I do a lot, just recently, because we're going to do Glastonbury together. "Elton, sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to, I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore, and Woody doesn't drink, and I still do. They stay away from me. Bad influence." He also told the podcast: "I've done it (Glastonbury) before. I did it in 2002 but this is on the legend stage. "I was only supposed to play for an hour and a quarter, but I've asked them 'Please, another 15 minutes' because I play for over two hours every night and it's nothing, but yeah, looking forward to it." Faces released four studio albums and toured regularly until 1975, when the band split up and Stewart went on to pursue a solo recording career. Earlier in the week the veteran British rockstar was presented with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by five of his children at the American Music Awards. Rod Stewart has confirmed he will reunite with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for his set at Glastonbury Festival. The 80-year-old singer is filling the coveted Legends slot at the music event, which is being headlined by British pop/rock band The 1975, Neil Young and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo. Faces, who were known for hits including Stay With Me, formed in 1969 following the split of Small Faces. Asked if he keeps in touch with The Rolling Stones' members and "other people in music" while on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Stewart said: "Not really. Woody (Wood) I do a lot, just recently, because we're going to do Glastonbury together. "Elton, sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to, I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore, and Woody doesn't drink, and I still do. They stay away from me. Bad influence." He also told the podcast: "I've done it (Glastonbury) before. I did it in 2002 but this is on the legend stage. "I was only supposed to play for an hour and a quarter, but I've asked them 'Please, another 15 minutes' because I play for over two hours every night and it's nothing, but yeah, looking forward to it." Faces released four studio albums and toured regularly until 1975, when the band split up and Stewart went on to pursue a solo recording career. Earlier in the week the veteran British rockstar was presented with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by five of his children at the American Music Awards.
Wales Online
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Rod Stewart to reunite with Faces band member Ronnie Wood at Glastonbury
Rod Stewart to reunite with Faces band member Ronnie Wood at Glastonbury The 80-year-old musician is filling the coveted tea-time legends slot at the music event, which is being headlined by British pop/rock band The 1975, folk rock star Neil Young and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo The pair performed together at the 2020 Brit Awards (Image:) Sir Rod Stewart has confirmed he will reunite with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for his set at Glastonbury Festival. The 80-year-old musician is filling the coveted tea-time legends slot at the music event, which is being headlined by British pop/rock band The 1975, folk rock star Neil Young and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo. Faces, who were known for hits including Stay With Me, formed in 1969 following the split of Small Faces. Bassist Ronnie Lane, keyboard player Ian McLagan and Kenney Jones were joined by Wood on guitar and Sir Rod on lead vocals. Asked if he keeps in touch with The Rolling Stones' members and "other people in music" while on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Sir Rod said: "Not really. Woody (Wood) I do a lot, just recently, because we're going to do Glastonbury together. "Elton, sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to, I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore, and Woody doesn't drink, and I still do. They stay away from me. Bad influence." He also told the podcast: "I've done it (Glastonbury) before. I did it in 2002 but this is on the legend stage. "I was only supposed to play for an hour and a quarter, but I've asked them 'Please, another 15 minutes' because I play for over two hours every night and it's nothing, but yeah, looking forward to it." Faces released four studio albums and toured regularly until 1975, when the band split up and Sir Rod went on to pursue a solo recording career. Earlier in the week the veteran rockstar was presented with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by five of his children at the American Music Awards (AMAs). His best known solo songs include Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Every Beat Of My Heart, and Maggie May. In 2024, he promised he would not retire but confirmed his 2025 European and North American shows would bring an end to his "large-scale world tours", with his next slate to be held at more intimate venues. Article continues below His latest album, a collaboration with Jools Holland, was released in February 2024 and went to number one on the UK chart.
Daily Record
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Rod Stewart announces he will be joined by huge rock icon on stage at Glastonbury
Rod Stewart is set to play the coveted legends slot at Glastonbury next month and the star is bringing a huge rockstar on stagr with him as a special guest. Sir Rod Stewart has announced he will be reuniting with his former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood during his set at Glastonbury Festival this summer. The 80-year-old rockstar is filling the coveted legends slot at the Worthy Farm festival, with headliners The 1975, Olivia Rodrigo and Neil Young also set to play over the course of the five-day event. Faces, who are best known for hits including Stay With Me, formed in 1969 following the split of Small Faces. The band was made up of bassist Ronnie Lane, keyboard player Ian McLagan, drummer Kenney Jones, Ronnie Wood on guitar and Sir Rod on lead vocals. When asked if he keeps in contact with The Rolling Stones' members and 'other people in music' whilst starring on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Sir Rod replied: "Not really. Woody (Wood) I do a lot, just recently, because we're going to do Glastonbury together. Elton, sometimes, you know, birthdays, but nowhere near how we used to. "I think probably because he doesn't drink anymore, and Woody doesn't drink, and I still do. They stay away from me. Bad influence." He also told the podcast: "I've done it (Glastonbury) before. I did it in 2002 but this is on the legend stage. "I was only supposed to play for an hour and a quarter, but I've asked them 'Please, another 15 minutes' because I play for over two hours every night and it's nothing, but yeah, looking forward to it." Sir Rod's Glastonbury legends slot will kick off at the traditional teatime on Sunday June 29, although the exact time is not confirmed until the complete timetable is officially announced by organiser Emily Eavis, the Metro reports. While the headliners and the majority of performers for this year's festival have now been confirmed, many fans have been left wondering who the secret set might be after Kasabian's memorable appearance last year. Speculated contenders are Mumford & Sons, Green Day, Sam Fender, The Cure and US rockers HAIM, but it's anyone's guess at this stage. Faces released four studio albums and toured regularly up until the band split in 1975 and Sir Rod went on to pursue his successful solo career. Earlier this week the rock icon was presented with a prestigious lifetime achievement award by five out of his eight children at the American Music Awards (AMAs). Rod's best known solo songs include Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Every Beat Of My Heart, and Maggie May. In 2024, the 80-year-old insisted he was not retiring but confirmed his 2025 European and North American shows would bring an end to his 'large-scale world tours', with any future performances to be held at more intimate venues. His latest album, a collaboration with Jools Holland, was released in February 2024 and went to number one on the UK chart.
