Paul Weller
...the Weller obsessives are treated to an array of Weller and Jam tracks of various hits, album tracks and misses from a back catalogue that now spans over the past fifty years going back to those very early Jam days.
Sandra Vijandi
So finally after a two year wait this evening is here at long last! The man known as the Moddather is back in the fine City at the UEA for the first time in many a year, a fact that he duly acknowledges during the course of the evening, ‘thank you for keeping your tickets throughout all this time’ he muses.
At the tender age of 64 he is looking incredible, keen, lean and on great form. For the next 140 minutes and 29 songs, the Weller obsessives are treated to an array of Weller and Jam tracks of various hits, album tracks and misses from a back catalogue that now spans over the past fifty years going back to those very early Jam days.
It’s a slow start for the first three numbers, but Start and From The Floorboards Up, get the gig going and in turn the crowd going followed then by a couple of Style Council numbers, Headstart for Happiness and Have You Ever Had It Blue. These are swiftly followed by the amazing Stanley Road taken from the album of the same name and perhaps an album that possessed some of Weller’s most finest works?
The excellent Hung Up from Wildwood gets an airing followed by Fat Pop, the latter proving, if there was ever any doubt that he can still knock out the odd killer tune, it’s taken from the 2021 album of the same name.
At times this evening, it does all feel just a bit too mellow and bland! Best summed up by Weller playing It’s a Very Deep Sea from The Style Council’s album, Confessions Of a Pop Group, that by his own recognition was something of a flop at the time!
Old Father Tyme and Village both taken from 2020’s excellent album On Sunset sound just great and are a perfect reflection of that initial lockdown period back in March 2020 when it was really quite magical to have some new music to listen too amongst all the craziness of the time.
And then, my oh my! What an encore we are treated too? It consists of Broken Stones, You Do Something To Me, On Sunset (from the album of the same name), That’s Entertainment and Wildwood.
But then there’s more! As Weller and his amazing band return to the stage once again for their second encore of the night. The Porcelain Gods and Changing Man bring the evening to a close.
Kids take note, when you really want a band to return to the stage, this is how it’s done! An old school crowd raising the roof and letting the band know in no uncertain terms that they want more and will not be leaving the building until they get what they want.
