February 22, 2012 8:31

The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood: 'We're on the verge of touring'

Guitarist says they owe it to the fans to hit the road this year

Photo Gallery: The Rolling Stones
Photo: PA

The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood has hinted that the band are "on the verge" of touring this year.

Rumours have long circulated that the legendary rock'n'roll band will play shows this year to mark their 50th anniversary, with drummer Charlie Watts the most recent member of the group to talk up the possibility of a half-centenary celebration.

Now, in an interview with the Radio Times, Wood has also said he wants the band to play together and, when asked if he and his bandmates would be hitting the road, he replied:

Be lovely, wouldn't it? That's what we're on the verge of. I dunno what the hell is gonna happen yet but we all feel we owe it to ourselves and to the people to do something.

He went on to add: "Basically, get the boys feeling comfortable with each other, 'cause we're all ready to go individually. It's just a matter of tying up loose ends and coming together as a unit."

It was reported last November that singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards would meet to discuss how they should celebrate the band's 50th anniversary. They are said to have fallen out when Richards mocked the size of the singer's manhood in his million-selling autobiography Life.

The Rolling Stones played their first ever gig in London on July 12, 1962. They reissued their seminal 1978 album 'Some Girls' late last year.