Playing to a loyal and rapturous crowd at the Royal Concert Hall, the Modfather himself put on a passionate show. Paul Weller proved exactly why his reputation precedes him, while giving Beeston-based Liam Bailey a bucket list moment...
Bouncing onto the stage draped in a red and white Forest scarf, Beeston’s Liam Bailey had clearly been relishing the arrival of this moment. Delighted to have landed the tour support with such an esteemed performer as the Modfather, the 41-year-old was understandably hellbent on lapping up every second. The fact the Reds were currently playing a couple of miles up the road had given the evening an extra frisson anyway, with many a Sky Sports app primed amongst the early arrivals.
Bailey’s blend of reggae, old-skool soul and blues proved the perfect Monday night tonic as we awaited Weller and Co. – with tracks such as Dance With Me and Canary In The Coal Mine the standout moments in his high-energy 30-minute set. Departing to a passionate cry of "I’m one of your own", he sauntered off merrily beaming with presumably one less item on his bucket list.
The route to 66 has been quite the journey for one of the great statesmen of British rock ‘n’ roll. From splitting The Jam and breaking many a heart along the way in 1982 to reinventing himself organically several times with the blue-eyed soul of The Style Council and a meandering, yet, always interesting solo career, which has guided his path for the last 30-odd years.
Despite the twists and turns, his moral compass has always stayed true. Where once it was taking on Thatcher and backing the miners with Red Wedge in the 1980s, to calling out the Iraq invasion in the noughties, Paul Weller has never been shy to show the courage of his convictions. Tonight, it’s all about the unthinkable plight of Gaza and Palestine, from the collection buckets in the foyers to the distinctive flag-embossed on-stage piano, the Woking songsmith remains a strident voice.
The gorgeous My Ever Changing Moods is dedicated to the plight of the people of that region, too ("this is about humanity, not hiding behind religion or politics"), while Stanley Road and Hung Up tip a hat to the genesis of his fruitful solo career.
Where in the past, he has received criticism in some quarters for eschewing the rich seam of material which has enabled him to play to sell-out crowds up and down the land year after year, Weller seems to have mellowed slightly in recent times and is ready to embrace his stellar back catalogue more willingly now.
Backed by a sextet of incredible tight, yet lucid musicians – led by longstanding sideman Steve Craddock – it’s clearly a catalogue that weaves through the tapestry of so many people’s lives judging by the way the better known tracks are rapturously received. Hatches, matches and dispatches, have, after all, been sound-tracked by these songs.
Casually removing his denim jacket a third of the way through the set, it’s like a touchpaper has been lit: a joyous Shout To The Top!, a dynamic Start! and the wonderful Broken Stones are all rattled out in the second half of a 28-song set.
By the time Peacock Suit and The Changing Man are aired, the stalls are on their feet to a man and woman, soon to be joined by the rest of us when The Jam’s stone cold classics That’s Entertainment and A Town Called Malice bring proceedings to a giddy close.
"How’d your team get on anyway? Really? Happy f*****g days!" Weller quips before the night’s end rolls around. It had been a special Monday for him, for Liam, for all of us.
Paul Weller performed at the Royal Concert Hall on 21st October 2024 with support from Liam Bailey.
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