The Rolling Stones gave fans a surprise this week by performing a new song, “Ringing Hollow,” live for the first time at a low-key listening party in London. Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood played the previously unreleased track on July 8 at the St. Clement Hotel in Aldwych, while pianist Matt Clifford joined them onstage. The event also featured a massive drone show over the London skyline, including the band’s famous tongue-and-lips logo.
The song is one of the highlights of the Stones’ upcoming 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues, which is set for release on July 10, 2026. It follows the earlier singles “Jealous Lover” and “In the Stars,” continuing the band’s late-career creative burst after 2023’s Hackney Diamonds.
“Ringing Hollow” has already drawn attention because of its lyrics and its subject matter. Jagger has said the song is about America as an idea, and not just a comment on Donald Trump. In his Mojo remarks, he explained that the American Dream still exists for some people, but also pointed to “the decline of the American Empire” and broader questions about “imperial overreach and the lobbying system.”
Keith Richards, who did not perform at the listening party, offered his own blunt view when asked about the song in The Sunday Times. Richards said the U.S. is “a bit of a disappointment at the moment,” adding that everyday concerns like gas prices are where people are really feeling the pressure. Jagger has likewise framed the track as something bigger than a political jab, calling it a song about America’s contradictions rather than a simple protest anthem.
The live debut itself was tiny in scale but significant in context. Setlist.fm lists only three songs for the evening, making it more of an intimate showcase than a full concert. According to the site, the performance was a surprise appearance for guests at the album listening party, with Chanel Haynes joining for the final song.
Setlist — St. Clement Hotel, London, July 8, 2026
- Ringing Hollow — live debut.
- Dead Flowers.
- You Can’t Always Get What You Want — final song, with Chanel Haynes joining.
The choice of “Dead Flowers” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” made the performance feel like a classic Stones gathering even though it was really a launch event. Jagger and Wood kept the set short, but the combination of a live debut, a fan-only atmosphere, and the London drone show made the night feel much bigger than its three-song setlist suggests.
The event also reinforces the larger story around Foreign Tongues: this is not just a nostalgia release. The album has already been described as a serious continuation of the Stones’ recent creative streak, with guest contributions from major names and songs that tackle aging, politics, and cultural change. AP’s review called the record a strong extension of the band’s late-period run, while Reuters noted that it marks the Stones’ 25th studio album and their second since Charlie Watts’ death.
For now, “Ringing Hollow” feels like the album’s clearest statement of intent: reflective, political, and deeply American in subject matter, but filtered through the Stones’ own country-blues instincts. Jagger has called it a country tune, inspired by his and Richards’ long-standing love of Hank Williams, and the live debut in London made that approach feel immediate and alive.
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