After releasing his most well received solo album in years, 22 Dreams the now 50-something Paul Weller is a man back on top of his game. Dressed head to toe in black and with his silver-grey locks in a sharp mod haircut, Weller lead his band onto stage, featuring none other than Steve Craddock from Ocean Colour Scene on guitar duties.
“I finally made it here, sorry about the wait -30 years or something” said Weller before grabbing his Gibson and launching into rousing versions of Peacock Suit and 22 Dreams. Weller exuded the energy of a rocker half his age, straining to the mic and shaking every melodic chord out of his guitar. Usual set closer Changingman was next, followed by From The Floorboards Up.
The first half of Weller’s set was heavy on solo tracks, with the marching groove of Sea Spray a highlight. However, when Weller launched into quintessentially British sounding Style Council hit Shout to the Top the crowd came alive, jumping and singing. “That went well didn’t it” laughed Weller “Only took you 30 minutes to forgive me for not coming”.
Clearly not concerned with Perth’s indoor smoking bans, Weller moved to the Mellotron piano, cigarette in hand, and lead the band into quieter tracks Picking Up Sticks and Wishing on a Star. When the whole band moved to acoustic guitars, Weller could barely be heard over the crowd singing The Jam favourite That’s Entertainment. The addition of a cello for Light Nights, a full band version of Wild Wood and a jazz version of Invisible, Weller used his live show to explore new dimensions of his acoustic songs and demonstrate his prowess over melody.
Back onto the electric guitar for Come On/Let’s Go featuring an incredible guitar solo from Craddock, the main set closed with rocking Jam track Eton Rifles, which got the whole of Challenge Stadium jumping.
After a short break, Weller returned to the stage and joked “Perth’s great but it’s halfway round the fucking world. If you moved it closer to England more people would come here”. After moving versions of Broken Stones and Whirlpool’s End, Weller thanked the crowd, clearly touched by the crowd’s reaction. The night ended with Weller’s signature track, A Town Called Malice. The only notable omission from the setlist was Weller’s recent Noel Gallagher penned single Echoes Round The Sun.
Though he’s pushed past a half century, the Modfather proved that he still has creative energy to burn. Let’s just hope he doesn’t wait another twenty years to grace our shores again.
