Weekly > Reviews
Paul Weller - Blackpool Empress Ballroom
It’s always awkward when you finally get to see a hero of yours after all these years and while I wasn’t exactly meeting him in the flesh for a pint, seeing a Paul Weller gig was something I’ve harboured as an essential thing to tick off my list for years.
Circumstances had prevented me in recent years, but when this tour was announced I was determined to make sure I got to one of the dates, even if it did involve a bit of travelling. We ended up with tickets for Blackpool and it couldn’t really have worked out much better if I’d planned the gig myself.
Not only is the venue fantastic and totally unique, but for once the sun was actually shining and the wind wasn’t blowing donkeys over. A few afternoon beers on the end of the North Pier and then on to the gig venue and we were relaxed and ready to see him.
As I’ve said earlier it’s always a little strange when you finally get to see someone you’ve built up a massive respect for over the years, you kind of expect a lot of them, but at the same time just hope and pray that they don’t let you down big style and shatter your illusions of them.
Once the less than appetising support act The Draytroneshad left the stage, it was on to the main course, Paul Weller and his band that features some fantastic musicians in their own right including Andy Lewis who he released a single with recently.
Due to the nature of the people in the band the sound is very tight tonight, the thing that does surprise me is how good and how strong Paul Weller’s voice sounds. Sometimes as people get older they lose that, but listening to him tonight it strikes me that it hasn’t changed greatly from when he was a young member of The Jam.
He has a new album coming out in June called 22 Dreams and as you would expect he is keen to plug this tonight by playing an array of new songs throughout his two hour set. The new stuff does sound good (not something you’ve always been able to say about his material) and tonight in places sounds a little nearer to some of his Northern Soul influences than past material.
- Paul Weller
- Blackpool Empress Ballroom (8th May 2008)
- Category: Live
- Label: Universal
- Support: The Draytones
- Reviewed by: Kev
- Published on: 19 May 2008
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
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Add to favouritesThe majority of the crowd though aren’t here for the new material, they clearly love it when he peppers his set with old solo classics like Peacock Suit, Out Of The Sinking, Broken Stones, Porcelain Gods, Foot Of The Mountain and Changing Man to name just a few.
As good as these songs all are though, the highlight for me and many others is seeing him power through Eton Rifles, it might not feature the other two members of The Jam onstage with him, but sends the hairs on the back of your neck up as he sings the famous lines to one of he groups best and most biting songs.
It might not have been a life changing even seeing him live, but I walk out pleased that I’ve finally got to see him, delighted with how much effort he still puts into his gigs, chuffed that he mixed his set up so well and ultimately pleased that the new material sounds like it’s going to be a winner. You can’t ask for much more than that can you really?
You can watch the video for his new single by clicking here.
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