Introducing The Cockroaches: Are the Rolling Stones about to play a surprise gig?

It’s the time of year for treasure hunts and easter eggs and it seems The Rolling Stones are joining in too. The rumour mill is a-churning with the news that The Rolling Stones may be gearing up to drop new music or play a surprise gig in London.

The fuel behind the powderkeg of speculation stems from a slate of posters that have been spotted across the capital that simply say The Cockroaches, with a QR underneath. The code takes you to a website called thecockroaches.com and when you click the sign up button, the page reads ‘Who the Fuck Are The Cockroaches” – clearly channelling their inner Lily Allen – inviting fans to subscribe for updates.

Thanks to a slew of Internet sleuths – particularly music journalist and broadcaster Matt Everitt - we know that the name The Cockroaches seems to be one that rock giants have adopted in the past. No strangers to pseudonyms, especially when it has a link to their upcoming music. In 2023, the band used the pseudonym Hackney Diamonds, putting on a series of secret gigs and conferences ahead of their upcoming album of the same name. Does this mean we could be getting a replay of the whole secret-gigs-and-new-music routine? Possibly. Also, in the early 80s, the band played a secret show under the alias Blue Sundays And The Cockroaches.

Could the name The Cockroaches be a subtle, teasing hint to the fact that the band is, erm, in the more twilight years of their lives and still going? I’m just going to say what we’re all thinking… Cockroaches are known for their ability to survive, and the average age of The Rolling Stones is 80. Connection? Perhaps…

“I could be falling for an elaborate April Fool’s hoax, or I could have dropped down a rabbit hole of obscure Stones folklaw, but this would appear to be some form of cryptic @therollingstones announcement, right?” Matt Everitt wrote in his caption online, alongside images of the pages that come up when the barcode is scanned. He also pointed out that the text on the sign up page is similar to the infamous photo of Ronnie Wood where he’s wearing a t shirt that says “Who the fuck is Mick Jagger?”

The bedroom shown on the website is fairly sparse, with a bed sporting an eye-wateringly 90s orange bedspread, a stack of old Vinyl albums – the only identifiable one being The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Siders by Bowie, and a pin board with what looks like concert tickets on. Intriguing? Yes. Concrete evidence? Debatable.

The Rolling Stones — Tell Me Straight (Lyric video) - YouTube

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Even more convincing (if tenuous) is the email confirmation that comes up after signing up for updates which is sent by Universal Music who just so happen to be the same label that represents the Stones…

There hasn’t been any official word from the Stones or any of their affiliated management about whether the rumours are true or not – but where would the fun be in just telling us, right?

• Old St Records are giving away free drinks this month to celebrate old school vinyl

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