With a trailblazing career now firmly into its sixth decade, Paul Weller’s relentless creativity has seem him shapeshift through many different genres and styles since The Jam burst onto the scene in early 1977. As part of his latest UK tour, Weller brings his exceptional live show to the ICC in Newport – if you’ve snagged a ticket to this sold-out show, here are five classics to keep an ear out for on the night, chosen by Elliot Oakley.
1. You Do Something To Me
An emotional proclamation of love, and the lengths one goes to just to have a chance of feeling it. Taken from Paul Weller’s third solo album, 1995’s acclaimed Stanley Road, You Do Something To Me is a truly incredible track that hits home even harder when experiencing it live. From its familiar piano intro, to the simple-yet-powerful guitar solo (played live by Weller’s long-time collaborator and friend, Ocean Colour Scene’s Steve Cradock), this is a true Weller masterpiece.
2. My Ever Changing Moods
After punk/new wave icons The Jam broke up in 1982 following five consistently successful years, Weller began a more pop-centric project, The Style Council. The first single from Café Bleu, their classic 1984 debut album, My Ever Changing Moods is a soul-pop gem, rich in rhythmic variety and catchy hooks. A dancefloor filler in its time, it remains Weller’s most successful single in the USA – peaking at 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 – and his reputation as one of the great political lyricists of his generation owes no small part to songs such as this one, which shines a spotlight on the war-mongering world leaders of the time and the threat of nuclear armageddon.
3. Saturn’s Pattern
The lead single and title track from Weller’s 2015 album – his 12th solo full-length; he’s released four more since – Saturn’s Pattern is a modern psychedelic rock groove that has beaten back stiff competition in Weller’s back catalogue to retain its place as an ever-present setlist inclusion. The weird honky-tonk piano and trashcan-like drum intro sets the tone, before whisking you off headfirst into a wall of psychedelic sound. The solid and consistent rock back-beat is a real head-nodder, and when the organ-layered chorus kicks in, you sure know about it. An excellent live track which really showcases the tightness of Weller’s incredible band.
4. Broken Stones
“Like pebbles on a beach / Kicked around, displaced by feet…” It’s a lyric so simple, yet so visual, and acts like a time machine to take you back to your childhood holidays on stony beaches, as the smell of sea salt fills the air. Stunning. One of four Stanley Road singles to gain a top 20 spot in the UK charts, Broken Stones is another permanent fixture in the setlist, as it’s been for much of the 30 years since its composition, and perhaps a sentimental favourite for many fans. That famous Wurlitzer intro never fails to rouse a crowd: expect that to remain true in Newport come April.
5. Town Called Malice
Perhaps the most well-known song of all from Paul Weller’s back catalogue, for the public at large, Town Called Malice was a number one single for The Jam in early 1982, and a postpunk soul-pop classic to this day. It also seems to pop up as a licensed track just about everywhere: it was the main theme to 2000’s feelgood movie of the year Billy Elliot, a fixture of the FIFA 2004 soundtrack, and even made an appearance in 2019 superhero blockbuster Spider-Man: Far From Home. This kind of reach makes it the perfect track to bridge the gap between generations – could it be the tune that gets your child into Weller and excited about the show?
Paul Weller, ICC Wales, Newport, Sat 6 Apr
Tickets: £49.50 (sold out). Info: here
words ELLIOT OAKLEY