Former Jam frontman Paul Weller may well be be around forever. Having weathered the storm of the punk fallout, Thatcherism in the ‘80s and the ‘dadrock’ scene of the ‘90s, the so-called Modfather continues to remain on top of his game. Come the end of the world he’ll probably still be treating some clued-in hyper-intelligent cockroaches to his cautionary tales of life in England.
Tonight sees the singer revelling in yet another career high. His latest record Wake Up The Nation seems to have pushed all the right buttons for critics and fans alike. And why not?
Looking every inch a star, the living legend offers us some utterly iconic tunes. It says a lot about an artist that he can play a seminal song such as ‘The Changing Man’ at the start of the set instead of saving it for the customary encore. But then Weller isn’t just any act. He’s got a dazzling array of numbers at his disposal and he isn’t afraid to play them either. Jam favourites ‘That’s Entertainment,’ ‘Pretty Green’ and ‘New Art School’ all get an airing and solo gems like ‘Broken Stones’ are present and correct as well. His smoky, soulful voice is in fine fettle, and while the schmaltzy ‘You Do Something To Me’ is a little too sweet for this writer, it goes down a storm with the majority of an audience that encompasses mums and dads as well as teenage Liam Gallagher-a-likes.
Proving that he’s still got some surprises up his sleeve after a mere 34 years making music, the singer introduces former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson – who just happened to be playing across the road – onto the stage and they rattle through the ‘70s boogie-woogie of ‘From The Floorboards Up’ with aplomb. Full marks for effort. A fine night was had by one and all...