Ian Brown dismisses Roses return

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Former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown has said he would reunite with the band only if he found himself "begging on the streets".

The singer, speaking to NME magazine before his sets at the Reading and Leeds festivals, said reunions were usually staged to make cash.

The band released their debut album 20 years ago. "We didn't do it because we wanted to be millionaires," he said.

"We did it because we wanted to change the world."

But Brown added that he understood recent reunion gigs by the likes of The Specials and The Sex Pistols.

"I was glad when the Sex Pistols got back because they never really got paid," he explained.

Reissue

Earlier this year, a newspaper report claiming the band were returning for a major tour were denied by Brown's record label and former band member John Squire.

Squire told the BBC's Newsnight programme that his desire to get back together with the band was "none whatsoever", and created an artwork to reflect this.

But ex-bassist Mani has said he would like to see a reunion and that Brown and Squire should settle their differences.

The Stone Roses shot to fame in 1989 with the release of their eponymous debut album, which was heaped with critical acclaim.

A 20th anniversary edition was reissued last month which reached number five in the album chart, surpassing the performance of the original release.