<P> In 2016 they released their first new material in two decades . </P> <P> Ian Brown (at the time the bassist) and guitarist John Squire, who knew each other from Altrincham Grammar School for Boys, formed a short - lived Clash - inspired band called The Patrol in 1980 along with singer / guitarist Andy Couzens and drummer Simon Wolstencroft . They played several gigs in 1980 and recorded a demo tape, but towards the end of that year decided on a change of direction . Brown had got a taste of being a frontman during the last Patrol show, singing Sweet's "Block Buster!" to close the set, with the band's friend / roadie Pete Garner standing in on bass, and Couzens wanting to concentrate on guitar . The band members lost enthusiasm in 1981, Brown selling his bass guitar to buy a scooter, and Wolstencroft joined Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke's pre-Smiths band Freak Party . Squire continued to practise guitar while working as an animator for Cosgrove Hall during the day, while Brown ran a Northern soul night in a Salford club . Squire and Couzens started a new band, The Fireside Chaps, with bassist Gary "Mani" Mounfield, later recruiting a singer named Kaiser and drummer Chris Goodwin, and changing their name to The Waterfront (after the film On the Waterfront), their sound influenced by 1960s groups and contemporary bands such as Orange Juice . Goodwin left before the band recorded their first demo and, shortly after the demo, Squire asked Brown to join as singer . A meeting with Geno Washington at a party at Brown's flat in Hulme, in which Washington told Brown that he would be a star and should be a singer, convinced Brown to take Squire up on his offer . Brown joined The Waterfront in late 1983, for a time sharing vocals with Kaiser . </P> <P> Like the earlier attempts at bands, The Waterfront fizzled out, but in late 1983 Couzens decided to try again at starting a band, and approached Brown . They decided on Wolstencroft (who had turned down the job of drummer in The Smiths) as drummer and Pete Garner as bassist (despite his admission that he could not play anything but "Block Buster!"). They also decided that they needed Squire in the band, and when he agreed the band's line - up was cemented . Leaving their previous bands behind, they worked solely on new material . Brown's vocal limitations prompted him to take singing lessons for three weeks . After rehearsing for some time without a band name, Squire came up with "The Stone Roses". Several stories later emerged suggesting that the band had initially been called "English Rose" or that the name was somehow linked to The Rolling Stones, but these were untrue, Brown explaining "No, I don't know where that English Rose story came from . John thought up the name "Stone Roses" - something with a contrast, two words that went against each other ". The band rehearsed for six months, during which time Wolstencroft had been auditioning for other bands, and he left to join Terry Hall's band The Colourfield . They got Goodwin to rejoin, but he lasted for only one rehearsal, so they advertised for a replacement and began auditioning, eventually recruiting Alan "Reni" Wren in May 1984 . </P> <P> After rehearsing and writing songs over the summer, they recorded their first demo in late August, making 100 cassettes, with artwork by Squire, and set about trying to get gigs . They played their first gig as the Stone Roses on 23 October 1984, supporting Pete Townshend at an anti-heroin concert at the Moonlight Club in London, Brown having sent the demo with an accompanying letter stating "I'm surrounded by skagheads, I wanna smash' em . Can you give us a show?". The show was seen by journalists including Sounds' Garry Johnson, who arranged to interview the band a few weeks later . The band received management offers and more gigs soon followed . </P>

Where did the stone roses get their name
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