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John William Weller (everyone called him Paul from a young age, even his parents) is proof that teenage pop stars are not entirely a modern phenomenon. You can talk about your Lorde’s and your Rihanna’s (who both made their debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same age, 17), but in The Jam, Weller was touring with The Clash by the time he was 19 and was nothing short of a youth cult leader by the time he was 24. Even at the time, few people had seen anything like the level of devotion that fans of The Jam displayed since the heyday of The Beatles. That kind of love can only really come from people seeing one of their own on stage, singing songs inspired and fuelled by the same experiences the audience were going through at the time.
Looking back on it, it seems quite strange for a man as famously contrary as Weller is to be related to as strongly as he was. However, apart from the whole successful rock band thing, Weller’s life had been pretty par for the course up until then. Growing up with a musical diet of The Beatles, The Who and The Small Faces, music was the one thing that Weller cared about from the age of eleven, the age that he took up playing the guitar. By 1972 he’d formed the first incarnation of The Jam with his mates Steve Brooks and Dave Waller on lead and rhythm guitar respectively, with Weller playing bass.
Weller’s father was a taxi driver by trade, but he became the bands manager and booked them a series of shows in working men’s clubs, which they played with Rick Buckler on the drums. The classic Jam line-up was beginning to take shape, and when Waller left the band, Bruce Foxton took his place playing guitar and the stage was finally set. The band gigged all over London and Surrey until 1976, when Brookes left as well, so Weller and Foxton swapped instruments and The Jam that would become familiar to millions over the next seven years was finally ready. While not quite a punk rock band, The Jam came to prominence at around the same time as bands like the Sex Pistols and The Damned, and by 1977, just before the Summer of Punk reared its head, they were signed to Polydor Records.
As far as The Jam goes, the rest is history. They became something of a youth movement, far and away one of the biggest bands in the country. However, come 1982 Weller became frustrated with how creatively constricting it was to be in The Jam and pulled the plug on the whole thing when he was a mere 24 years old. Not wasting a moment, The Jam played their final concert in December 1982 and Weller’s follow up band, The Style Council, were formed in early 1983 alongside keyboard player Mick Talbot. The band were moderately succesful in their way, having a series of top ten hits with the likes of “Shout To The Top” and “Speak Like A Child”, and the band even gave Weller some small success in the states, something which had eluded him in The Jam, but it didn’t even rival Weller’s previous success, and by 1989, The Council’s record company refused to release their fifth album “Modernism: A New Decade”.
Disillusioned, Weller split The Council and found himself without a band or label for the first time since he was 17 years old. Many others would have retired but Weller is nothing if not tenacious, and after taking most of 1990 off, he began touring again in 1991 with his band The Paul Weller Movement. These concerts, mostly taking place in the clubs that he’d long since outgrown previously, were highly acclaimed, leading to a newfound surge in interest and some serious hype around his debut solo album. “Paul Weller” was released in 1992 on Freedom High, his own record label, and was such a success that it got him a new deal with Go! Disks, who re-released the album and saw it hit the top ten of the U.K album charts. Weller had his commercial and creative mojo back, and ever since then he’s been a true national treasure, releasing acclaimed album after acclaimed album and still commanding respect from multiple generations of music fans. He’s earned the respect of any music fan multiple times over, and still comes highly recommended.
Avis
Paul Weller is considered an indie/rock phenomena and enjoyed momentous success with his original band The Jam, then The Style Council and finally as a solo artist. It feels as though Weller has the midas touch when it comes to recording music as his discography now spans forty years and includes countless hits.
His set lists are a credit to the musician as a soloist as whilst often playing over twenty tracks, he only tends to pick one or two from his past endeavours as a band member. Kicking off proceedings with an anthemic rendition of 'Sunflower', Weller proves he is still a mod icon as he struts around stage with his trusted guitar in hand.
All the tracks you want to hear are present, 'Peacock Suit', 'Sweet Pea, My Sweet Pea' and 'Above The Clouds' are all there to keep the crowds cheering and singing along. The classic material sits well against new tracks including 'That Dangerous Age' which the crowd seems just as enthusiastic to bellow out. The original modfather really gives his fans a lesson in what makes a rock icon as Weller matches the perfect amount of showmanship with musical ability.
sean-ward
As one of the pioneers of indie / punk / mod rock, Paul Weller is still rocking into his fifties. Weller was the frontman for two very influential indie rock bands, The Jam and The Style Council. Paul Weller started his solo career in 1992 with the release of his self titled album, "Paul Weller". He has released a total of 11 solo albums to go along with his catalog of recordings from the two previously mentioned bands. Weller has been nicknamed The Mod Father for his influential role in the style of mod rock.
Weller still tours regularly and is not showing signs of slowing down. His recent shows have been divided into acoustic and electric sets. The majority of the setlist consists of Weller's solo material, which is some of the best music he has created. The highlights though are when he reaches into the archives of The Jam and The Style Council and delivers some mod classics. He is also known to sprinkle in a surprise cover here and there. Weller isn't very talkative on stage, he lets the music do the talking. And it's for that very reason Paul Weller remains one of the must see's for mod rock fans.
This was a show of superior musical quality and professional showmanship. Opera House sound was good.
From start to finish there was a good mix of Paul Weller, Style Council and Jam numbers.
Many of the crow were there for Jam and Council hits which was obvious by the out of the seats dancing (a GOOD thing) and the fidgeting with mobile phones, reading emails, sending messages, using Facebook, disrupting both performers and interested patrons by the constant toing and froing of drink runs (which was NOT a good thing).
My rating out of 5:
Performance - 5
Venue - 4
Audience - 2
This was my first concert at The Opera House and I was surprised by the apparent authority shown by staff outside the auditorium which didn’t extend to inside the auditorium.
Finally, I’ve seen Paul Weller several times now and much prefer him play in a smaller venue - eg. The Tivoli in Brisbane - to a much more appreciative audience who would be willing to pay a little more. However, I suspect that may not again happen.
JennyBurton
Great evening in beautiful surroundings at Westonbirt arboretum. The sun came out just as the support band finished and the weather stayed dry. Weller put on a polished and professional performance, a little bit of audience interaction but mostly he was about delivering the tracks. There was a spattering of his well known songs as he started, but it was also good to hear some others. The band were excellent and as the evening drew on, the classics started to come out including, of course 'you do something to me' which was a special moment. They did a couple of encores and finished with 'Town called malice' at which point the crowd went crazy. A great way to finish. Overall a great performance and Weller's voice still sounds strong and vibrant.
ldpcollins
The man just oozes style and panache. Always edgy and highly professional, he walked off stage in the first number because his amp was dodgy. He certainly made his displeasure known to the roadie who replaced the misfiring amp and then on with show!
No Jam tracks but many Style Council tracks, immaculately played along with tracks from his new album.
Johnny Marr who opened for Weller (very impressive) joined him for a track or two. Some great jamming tracks, some sounding very Pink Floydish. Fab-u-lous!
So a great evening, wonderful music and a terrific cause. Thank you Mr Weller. I bow to your musical genius.
pableonus
Paul weller @ Manchester .....
Mr Weller seemed more relaxed than ive seen him before , even chatting with the audience.
Did a full 2 1/2 hour set full of classics from his own career and some awesome tracks off a kind revolution mixed with a couple of style council favourites and to make sure the ardent jam fans got a look in did about seven of there hits.
To which the crowd always responds.
Paul is a master of his art and can raise the audience at will.
All in all id say this was an Excellent paul weller set couldnt fault it at all 10/10 .
faworthy
A Paul Weller concert can be a bit of a bit or miss affair depending upon what mood he is in and what songs he wants to sing. So it was lucky for us that he decided to cover his complete repertoire for his Opera House performance. The Jam, Style Council and his solo work were all covered in full and with a band so tight, they added to the experience. Weller remains the master of cool and throughout the night he delivered what the fans wanted, while promoting his new material with equal aplomb.
michael-pillay
Excellent gig by Weller & co. He's still got all the passion for his music, he's still got the voice and he's getting better with time.
An incredibly talented bunch of musicians and an immensely professional set. Also great value for money - the guys put on a full 2 hours of solid tunes from right across all his eras. As an original Jam fan I would have loved to hear 3 or 4 more songs from that era but it was a great night and a stonking concert!
Wilde1967
Amazing Showman!! The Modfather kept the crowd enthralled as he took us on a journey spanning his impressive and influential career. His band supported him at every turn and note adding depth and emotion to the powerful and relevant lyrical content. His obvious enjoyment of his craft and his humility as he shared it with the crowd. We will not forget this night or you Mr. Wellar. Play loud. We are here with you
Keithir
Brilliant gig as always from the man. Great choice of songs. Plymouth crowd was bit staid in places but I've been to loads of gigs here in the city of Plymouth and they are often like that. Brilliant musicians and nice to see Steve Craddock with him again. This is my 7th Paul weller gig and the man just gets better, more chatty this time. One of the Best Paul Weller gig I've seen.
leeriff
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