One of the great what-ifs in rock history may get a belated answer, as Faces, the British outfit that launched the careers of Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Kenney Jones, are reuniting to make new music.
Faces formed out of the wreckage of Small Faces in 1969, when frontman Steve Marriot departed to form Humble Pie. The remaining members recruited Stewart and Wood from the Jeff Beck Group, dropping the ‘Small’ in the process without realizing how big they’d become. One of the most reliable touring draws of the early 1970s, Faces eventually buckled under the weight of their own success, especially Stewart’s skyrocketing solo career. In the aftermath of their breakup, guitarist Wood joined The Rolling Stones, drummer Jones linked up with The Who, and the more they all achieved separately, the more fans wondered what might have been.
Wonder no longer, because new music from Faces is on the way. The three surviving members have been in the studio, according to Wood. In a new interview with The Times, the 74-year-old guitarist said, “Me, Rod, and Kenney have been recording some new Faces music.”
There’s no timetable for when we might hear it, and Wood didn’t have much more to say on the subject. But the band has reunited before. In 2015, Stewart played with his former bandmates for the first time in more than 40 years.
Elsewhere in the same interview, Wood spoke about beating cancer during the pandemic. He also said he’d working with Mick Jagger working on new songs for the 40th anniversary of the Stones’ Tattoo You, which is something else to look forward to. In the meantime, revisit Faces 2020 performance at the Brit Awards below.
