LIVE REVIEW: Paul Weller Nottingham 21.10.24

Witnessing Paul Weller in the heart of the East Midlands with his on-stage cohorts thankfully isn’t an anomaly, the ceaseless singer /songwriter rarely disappoints when visiting Brian Clough’s adopted back yard.

My first experience watching the Modfather in tonight’s venue, Nottingham’s 80’s futuristic Royal Concert Hall complex, was mid 90’s Wild Wood period. I was watching on from the towering third storey, Weller ripping up the floorboards with a spell binding rock, blues and soul extravaganza, a natural mind-boggling masterclass. Another show at the same venue a few years later featured a surprise support slot in the guise of an aspiring Manchester juvenile tear-away Noel Gallagher with his younger brother Liam watching on eagerly from the side stage curtains, the hum around the venue on that night was at fever pitch, yet again Weller worked his guitars for all their worth.

Tonight might not have the recently reunited Mancunian scaly wags in tow, however taking center stage in the support slot is Nottingham’s very own stunning Liam Bailey. Skanking up the spotlight with his supreme rock steady, Afro Caribbean rock / soul vibes; passionate, exciting and full of enchanting moments especially when Bailey breaks forth with such timeless enchanting tunes as Dance With Me whom Bailey dueted with Weller so superbly back in April. Bailey bounds on stage like a kid waiting to open their Christmas day presents, opening choice riddims includes Stun Me along with further selected prize winning chops from his gorgeous recent album Zero Grace. A fellow Nottingham Forest fan has never been more welcome to witness.

The Woking Wonder enters the stage to the frenetic attack of Cosmic Fringes before Soul Wandering, taken from his latest highly esteemed long player 66, delivers a rock psych detonation awakening the mod throngs from their comfortable cushioned deck chairs. Have You Ever Had It Blue, My Ever Changing Moods (dedicated to the ridiculous continuing world wars) and Headstart for Happiness allow retrospection of a side parted haircut like no other, spartan Bermuda shorts and a refreshing enthusiasm for tackling the big political parties head on, oh how much we need The Style Council in our modern day chaotic selfish times, thankfully we have these ageless musical excursions to whisk us away for just a moment of melodious euphoria, even if the majority of the crowd seem to continue to be comfortable in their armchairs, eating ice creams!?

Weller’s 7 piece handpicked tour orchestra includes the staple diet of Steve Cradock (lead guitar), Jake Fletcher (bass guitar), Steve Pilgrim (drums), Ben Gordelier (instrumentation), Tom Van Heel (keyboards) following in the hallowed footsteps of never flinching well-oiled backing bands The J.B’s, The M.G’s and The Meters, shifting championship winning rhythmic gears like prime Nigel Mansell but without a moustache. Final link in the Weller ensemble is Jacko Peake (woodwind), his playing can be at times seem unheralded but unmistakably there in the mix, especially when he gets to charm his saxophone out of its metaphorical basket on mid 90’s classic compositions All the Pictures On The Wall and Stanley Road.

Newfangled selections from Paul’s latest long players are overly refreshing to observe; Mark Eric folk reverberations of More taken from 2020’s vastly underrated On Sunset; Artwoods leanings on Glad Times with Cradock’s stunning guitar solo sounding aka prime Peter Green; The Holydrug Couple beleric beats via Nothing gets additional supersonic twiddling’s via Gordelier and Van Heel; hair-raising Old Father Tyme taps straight into your core being injecting you with a drug that stops you in your tracks and has you looking on in awe at the theurgy that’s before you.

Concluding choral stunners induced into tonight’s 2 hour amphitheatre operation splits between resonant fiery bash Jumble Queen; enduring rhapsodic You Do Something To Me before the curtain call of Sandi Sheldon-esque Town Called Malice leaves the 3,000 attendee’s waxing lyrical of how marathon man Weller can keep on doing what he’s doing. Running On The Spot? more like Come On/Let’s Go!