King Monkey returns with 'First World Problems'

Ian Brown appears to be teasing his return, as posters advertising a new single ‘First World Problems’ have been spotted across his native Manchester.

This follows a similar pattern to when The Stone Roses plastered their iconic ‘Lemon Posters’ across the city in 2016 – before returning with new music and tour dates.

Having not released a solo album since ‘My Way’ in 2009‘, there have been rumours that Brown was working on material away from the Roses since last year. Fans are now speculating that a new track from album news from Brown will arrive this week.

NME has contacted a Brown spokesman for a response.

Last summer, rumours began to circulate that the Manchester legends’ show in Glasgow would be their last – before comments made by Brown during the show seemed to confirm that the band had come to an end once again.

As the gig at Hampden Park drew to a close, Brown told the crowd: “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened.”

Sources close to the band then claimed that Brown had been in the studio working on his next solo album. Meanwhile, documents on the Government’s Companies House show that ‘Second Touring Limited’ (which was set up by the band in 2015) had its First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off in October. This meant that the company wastruck off the register and dissolved on December 24, 2017.

“It’s not official 100% confirmed that they’ve stopped, but it looks like they have, doesn’t it?” Roses biographer and journalist John Robb told NME. “The thing about those guys, is that nothing is ever certain with The Stone Roses. That’s one of the things that made them such an interesting band.

“I love Manic Street Preachers, but there’s a certainty to them. That’s not a criticism of them, just that you know they’ll all be in the Manics for the rest of their lives. The thing about The Roses, is that from day one that band could have combusted at any moment. Their brilliance is so fleeting and hard to grasp, that it disappears. They get it in their hands, then they just let it go again.”

The Stone Roses initially reformed in 2011 and played London’s Wembley Stadium earlier this summer – their first gig in the capital for four years. Fans were also eagerly hoping for a new album from the band, after they released the singles ‘All For One’ and ‘Beautiful Thing’ in 2016