![]() There are poignant acoustic laments (“Where’er Ye Go”), avant-garde instrumentals (“111”), and even a spoken-word soliloquy (“God”). His ninth solo album, 22 Dreams features contributions from Blur’s Graham Coxon and Oasis’s Noel Gallagher, and boasts 21 songs that run the gamut from shuffling folk to raucous R&B. punk scene as perpetrator of some of that genre’s most intelligent rhetoric before reinventing himself first as purveyor of supersmooth soul and then earnest, singer/songwriter rock, is about to release his most ambitious project to date. ![]() ![]() He suggests we repair to the hotel’s gardens, where the sunglasses begin to make more sense, and he orders a beer while fishing for the first of three cigarettes over the coming hour: “Got a light?” To commemorate his half century (celebrated on May 25), the former Jam and Style Council frontman, who came of age during the U.K. ![]() His hair has been styled in an artful feather cut with blond highlights, not necessarily becoming of your average 50-year-old, but then Weller, a genuine icon of British rock, is anything but your average 50-year-old. His tan is more redolent of South Beach than southern Yorkshire, which is where he is this May evening-in Sheffield, to be precise-on the latest date of his U.K. “This one is different.”Įyes hidden behind wraparound shades, Paul Weller strides through the dark hotel lobby in his habitual fashion, dressed way above what this ostensibly casual occasion demands, in a fine woolen T-shirt, freshly pressed trousers, and a pair of two-tone shoes Al Capone would have approved of. “I’ve considered retiring after almost every record I’ve made lately,” he says. As the lights went out and the crowd made their way down the Royal Mile, it was clear this evening was way beyond entertainment, it was something special shared amongst the twenty, thirty, forty, fifty and sixty-something’s with one love in common, Paul Weller and a sharp sense of style.As frontman for the Jam and later the Style Council, Paul Weller has been an uncompromising face of British rock for three decades. It was, though, A Town Called Malice that saw the crowd erupt in nostalgic euphoria as they enjoyed the upbeat track that brought back many a memory. And as he swayed and played his way through the nostalgically-led performance the crowd showed that truly great songs can stand the test of time, and a few decades too.ĭuring the classic-heavy encore, Weller took to the piano for a special rendition of Rose Royce’s Wishing On a Star. The swagger and angst that Weller coined in his heyday was still in-stowed within him this evening, giving Fast Car Slow Traffic from his 2010 album a great dose of aggro. Going against the ‘no smoking’ rule within the historical grounds, Weller smoked a fag in-between guitar change-overs and wetted his pallet with countless pieces of gum. As the acoustic-led guitar opened up the ears of the crowd, each and every single lyric was repeated back to Weller through Cheshire cat smiles. That’s Entertainment was the stand-out track from the evening. It was the iconic tracks that stood out, predictably, with Peacock Suit, From the Floorboards Up, Start! and Wild Wood all included in the 90 minute set. And fitting too, for The Jam were the working class heroes band of the 1980’s. With the isles reserved strictly as a walkway, hyped-up guys and girls rebelled against its purpose dancing and chanting in the face of authority. Opening with Sunflower, Weller got the crowd going with countless fans in the crowd receiving a telling off from stewards for their out-of-their-seat behaviour. With Steve Cradock of Ocean Colour Scene taking the gong for the sharpest suit award, the six piece band are suited and booted for the packed crowd. And its not only the original 80’s mods that are amongst the crowd, their wives, children and even grandchildren are in-tow- not forgetting the twenty-something’s that have fell in love with Weller all off of their own back. Weller inspired a hair cut and a generation, and the culture he captivated as his own is speckled amongst the crowd in Fred Perry button ups and meticulously trimmed sideburns. There’s always something special about these gigs. IN the iconic grounds of Edinburgh Castle, legendary Mod-father Paul Weller put on a performance with just the right amount of classics to satisfy the transfixed crowd. ![]()
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