Watch The Rolling Stones perform with Lady Gaga at a secret Hackney Diamonds launch show in New York

After much anticipation in recent weeks, The Rolling Stones’ new album Hackney Diamonds is here. And celebrating its launch in style, the rock and roll titans put on a secret gig last night (19 October) at Racket NYC in Manhattan.

As per the Evening Standard, the band put on a seven-song set, playing both classics including Shattered, Tumbling Dice and Jumpin’ Jack Flash, as well as four tracks from the new album: Angry, Whole Wide World, Bite My Head Off and Sweet Sounds of Heaven.

• READ MORE: “I’ve never even come close to thinking of wrapping up the Rolling Stones’ story”: Keith Richards on whether Hackney Diamonds will be the final Stones album
  

The latter – which also happened to be the final song of the set – saw an appearance from none other than Lady Gaga, who also appears on the album version of the track.

It’s safe to say that the pop icon smashed it, and even engaged in what can only be described as a friendly screaming match with Mick Jagger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMFBeVRZC4Q

In an interview in the new issue of Guitar Player, Stones guitarist Keith Richards touches upon the band’s collaboration with Lady Gaga.

When the interviewer says they were “nervous” to hear Lady Gaga was going to be on a Rolling Stones track, Richards replies: “Right, I don’t blame you. I understand what you were thinking. But she’s one of the Stones now.”

He goes on to describe Lady Gaga as a “talented piece of work”, adding that it helped to also have Stevie Wonder playing keyboards on the track. “Having both of them in the same room was pretty interesting,” he says.

On the track’s textbook gospel chord progression, Richards continues: “The sound and feel of gospel runs through almost everything we’ve ever done, but Mick and I never actually pinned it down in such a specific way.

“Sweet Sounds of Heaven started as more [of] an Otis Redding-style soul music thing and evolved from there. Soul music and gospel are just a part of us, and at the right time it suddenly comes out. There was no sort of premeditated decision to do a gospel thing. Mick just had these lyrics, and then there it was.”

Hackney Diamonds is out now.