Ronnie Wood was the guest of honor on Tuesday (3) as he opened the music studios at Community Links in Canning Town, east London, developed in partnership with the Rolling Stones.
The state-of-the-art studio will give a significant helping hand to budding musicians in the borough of Newham, thanks to a generous partnership with the Stones. After playing in London on the 2018 leg of their No Filter tour, which recommences in the US in late September, the band looked for an opportunity to invest in the creative futures of young people in London, and teamed up with Community Links, a social action charity.
The purpose-built studio is the result, and will provide studio access for young people up to the age of 24. It will host creative workshops that foster mental wellbeing, as well as courses and formal study programs that will lead to qualifications in music technology and sound engineering.
The Rolling Stones’ manager Joyce Smyth was also present at the ceremony to co-present students with an original piece of Wood’s celebrated art, a setlist from the band’s show at the nearby Olympic Stadium in May 2018, sales from which specifically helped fund the studio.
‘I remember the help I got as a youngster’
“I am delighted I was asked to open the Music Studios at Community Links in Canning Town,” said Wood. “I remember the help I got as a youngster and it is only right that, through this great charity, the Stones are giving a hand to all the budding musicians in east London.”
After confirmation that Charlie Watts is likely to miss the upcoming No Filter dates, Wood wrote on social media: “I will miss Charlie on our upcoming tour, but he told me the show must go on! I’m really looking forward to Charlie getting back on stage with us as soon as he’s fully recovered. A huge thank you to the band’s old friend Steve Jordan for rockin’ on in Charlie’s place, and on his drum seat for the Autumn tour.”
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