Asked by the BBC if there’s any chance of the Roses resurrecting, the guitarist said: “None whatsoever. I’d rather live my life than attempt to rehash it. It would be pointless. I find art far more rewarding. Even if Ian and I were double-dating, as we did in our teens, then the prospect of a reunion wouldn’t interest me at all. There are fans but there is also a market there to exploit and I suspect people within the industry that have a vested interest are driving this. Music is a young person’s game and I don’t think us old fogey’s should get in the way of that.

“I've got a lot of great memories from those days,” he concludes, “but it was a long time ago. I think I have an urge to create and so long as I can satisfy that urge in one way or another, then I'm quite happy.”

To underline the point, he’s posted a rather nifty image on his johnsquire.com website (pictured), which reads: “I have no desire whatsoever to desecrate the grave of seminal Manchester pop group the Stone Roses. 18.3.09.”

Added to the “I couldn’t imagine it happening” statement issued by Ian Brown, I think we can rule out that talk of a Dublin date.