Copyrighted Images courtesy of our very good friend, Barry Goodwin!
Cheers!!!
Monday, 31 May 2010
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Paul Weller At The Albert Hall - Pics From Monday Night!
Courtesy Of Sabrina Pedrini who traveled from Italy!
Grazie!!!
Paul Weller At The Albert Hall - Friday Set List!
Set List:
Andromeda
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
From The Floorboards Up
Have You Made Up Your Mind
Porcelain Gods
Dust And Rocks
No Tears To Cry
Aim High
Shout To The Top
Trees
Invisible
You Do Something To Me
One Bright Star
Wake Up The Nation
Pretty Green
Start
Fast Car / Slow Traffic
Come On, Let's Go
---
Everything Has A Price To Pay
Black River
Why Walk When You Can Run
All On A Misty Morning
---
Find The Torch Burn The Plans
Art School
Scrape Away
---
22 Dreams
The Changingman
Broken Stones > Oh Happy Day
Town Called Malice
_______________
Review From News Of The World
By John Earls, 30/05/2010
From the Royal Albert Hall, London
IF the mark of a great performer is how well he copes in adversity, then The Modfather really is a legend.
Recent albums Wake Up The Nation and 22 Dreams are among his best, but even mighty Paul struggles against the venue's dodgy sound - his string section is inaudible.
It doesn't help that the first half features few classics - only recent angry hit From The Floorboards Up and riotous new song Trees rise above the muddy noise to hit home.
Then, just when it looks like a bad night at the office, the music gets more furious as Weller and his superb band virtually set fire to their remaining songs, including The Jam smashes Pretty Green and Start.
Weller is reborn, finding room for beautiful solo hit Broken Stones among the chaos.
The lesson is, never mess with an old Mod.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Paul Weller At The Albert Hall - Thursday Set List!
Set List:
Andromeda
From The Floorboards Up
7 & 3
7 & 3
Into Tomorrow
Aim High
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
Strange Town
Wake Up The Nation
Shout To The Top
Trees
You Do Something To Me
One Bright Star w/Sophie Soloman
Wild Wood w/Sophie Soloman
Eton Rifles w/Kelly Jones
That's Entertainment w/Kelly Jones
Fast Car / Slow Traffic
Come On, Let's Go
---
Why Walk (When You Can Run)
All On A Misty Morning
Light Nights w/Hannah Andrews
Butterfly Collector
Brand New Start
---
Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
Art School
Scrape Away
---
Pieces Of Dream
Paul Weller To Appear On Dermot O'Leary's BBC2 Radio Programme!
Paul is scheduled for a live performance and interview!
Paul Weller At The Albert Hall - Wednesday Set List!
Courtesy Of Blue Monday
Set List:
Sea Spray
Have You Made Up Your Mind
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
Into Tomorrow
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
Frm The Floorboards Up
Aim High
Trees
Invisible
One Bright Star
No Tears To Cry (feat Richard Hawley)
Andromeda (feat Richard Hawley)
Shout To The Top
Pretty Green
Start
Fast Car / Slow Traffic
Come On, Lets Go
---
Early Morning Rain (feat Richard Hawley)
All On A Misty Morning
Light Nights (feat Hannah Andrews)
Brand New Start
---
Out Of The Sinking
Whirlpools End
Art School
Scrape Away
---
Broken Stones
Official Details For Paul Weller's New Single!
From PaulWeller.com
We're pleased to announce details of Paul's next single - it's another double a-side; 'Find The Torch, Burn The Plans/Aim High'.
The single will be released on June 14 on CD and two 7" flavours, all featuring exclusive b-sides.
We're pleased to announce details of Paul's next single - it's another double a-side; 'Find The Torch, Burn The Plans/Aim High'.
The single will be released on June 14 on CD and two 7" flavours, all featuring exclusive b-sides.
There will also be a four track digital bundle - see below for details.
Download Bundle:
1. Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
2. Aim High (Larry Heard Remix)
3. Andromeda (Acoustic from Berlin)
4. No Tears To Cry (acoustic)
CD
1. Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
2. All I Wanna Do (Acoustic)
3. Moonshine (from the Radio 2 Theatre)
7" 1.
A. Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
B. How Sweet It Is - Feat. Lauren Pritchard (from the Radio 2 Theatre)
7" 2.
A. Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
B. Pieces Of A Dream (from the Radio 2 Theatre)
Paul Weller To Play New Zealand!
This October sees Paul Weller making a long overdue and much anticipated visit to these shores as part of his Australasian 'Wake Up The Nation tour'. SATURDAY OCTOBER 30 AUCKLAND THE POWER STATION
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Paul Weller at the Royal Albert Hall - Tuesday Night!
Paul was joined on stage last night by none other than Jam bassist Bruce Foxton!
Also, Paul turned 52 yesterday - Happy Birthday!
From NME.com:
Paul Weller was reunited with his Jam bandmate Bruce Foxton for the first time since 1982 last night (May 25), as the two performed together in London.
Scroll down to watch video footage of the duo's performance below.
Weller, two days into his five-night residency at the capital's Royal Albert Hall, called the pairing "history in the making" as he welcomed his old bandmate onto the stage.
The duo – augmented by Weller's backing band – kicked off their three-song reunion by launching into a vitriolic version of 'Fast Car/Slow Traffic'. The recorded version of the track, taken from Weller's latest album 'Wake Up The Nation', also features Foxton on bass.
"Well, it's been a while hasn't it?" said Foxton afterwards. "Twenty-eight years, I think. Thank you for the wonderful reception!"
Foxton then remained onstage to run though Jam classics 'The Eton Rifles' and 'The Butterfly Collector', before waving to the crowd and exiting to a huge ovation from the audience and a hug from Weller.
Weller played a greatest hits set to the sell-out crowd, including cuts from 'Wake Up The Nation' alongside older classics including 'Start!', 'The Changingman' and 'Strange Town'.
The singer – who was celebrating his 52nd birthday yesterday – responded jokily when the crowd sang him 'Happy Birthday', saying, "The only thing I want right now is a cigarette."
Also, Paul turned 52 yesterday - Happy Birthday!
From NME.com:
Paul Weller was reunited with his Jam bandmate Bruce Foxton for the first time since 1982 last night (May 25), as the two performed together in London.
Scroll down to watch video footage of the duo's performance below.
Weller, two days into his five-night residency at the capital's Royal Albert Hall, called the pairing "history in the making" as he welcomed his old bandmate onto the stage.
The duo – augmented by Weller's backing band – kicked off their three-song reunion by launching into a vitriolic version of 'Fast Car/Slow Traffic'. The recorded version of the track, taken from Weller's latest album 'Wake Up The Nation', also features Foxton on bass.
"Well, it's been a while hasn't it?" said Foxton afterwards. "Twenty-eight years, I think. Thank you for the wonderful reception!"
Foxton then remained onstage to run though Jam classics 'The Eton Rifles' and 'The Butterfly Collector', before waving to the crowd and exiting to a huge ovation from the audience and a hug from Weller.
Weller played a greatest hits set to the sell-out crowd, including cuts from 'Wake Up The Nation' alongside older classics including 'Start!', 'The Changingman' and 'Strange Town'.
The singer – who was celebrating his 52nd birthday yesterday – responded jokily when the crowd sang him 'Happy Birthday', saying, "The only thing I want right now is a cigarette."
Videos Courtesy of SirGoat1
Set List:
Push It Along
7 & 3 Is The Striker's Name
Sea Spray
Into Tomorrow
Aim High
Andromeda
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
Strange Town
Wake Up The Nation
Trees
Empty Ring
One Bright Star
Shout To The Top
Start!
Fast Car/Slow Traffic w/Bruce Foxton
The Eton Rifles w/Bruce Foxton
The Butterfly Collector w/Bruce Foxton
All On A Misty Morning
Light Nights
Brand New Start
Echoes Round The Sun
Art School
Come On/Let's Go
The Changingman
Images Courtesy Of Popkid! Cheers!
Paul Weller at the Royal Albert Hall - Monday Night!
Paul's 5 night residency at London's Royal Albert hall kicked off on Monday!
Special Guest Roxanne Tataei
Review From The Times Online:
By Pete Paphides
With Wild Wood, in 1993, Paul Weller rediscovered his mojo just in time to soak up a few plaudits as Britpop’s tribal elder. In snobbier circles, however, a certain mistrust persisted. When Britpop devolved into dad-rock, Weller’s detractors held him accountable. How could he have the gall to put out a song called The Changingman when Weller was still wearing the same Mod threads he had been wearing two decades previously?
Lately, though that outward sameness has begun to seem like a clever smokescreen. Recent albums — 22 Dreams (2008) and Wake Up the Nation this year— have been inspired exercises in free-spirited experimentation. And yet the Fred Perry-wearing contingent of Weller’s fanbase kept the faith. At the first of a lengthy Albert Hall residency, however, you had to wonder how long some of them might keep doing so. The black-clad 52-year-old singer ventured that shows in the early part of the week are “traditionally a little bit quiet, but tonight’s different, I think”.
The “I think” spoke volumes. Silhouetted by strobes, Weller’s band sounded demonic as they unleashed the feverish staccato psych-mare of 7 + 3 is the Striker’s Name. Shedding his guitar for Aim High, Weller allowed his semi-falsetto to float up while a synergy of strings and Steve Pilgrim’s pile-drivingly funky drumming seemed to compel a physical response. And yet, viewed from above, you would swear that you had seen more animated bus queues than the gazing throng.
Under the circumstances then, a rocket-fuelled delivery of Weller’s 1995 call to action From the Floorboards Up had the feeling of an emergency tutorial, while almost every other song played received a cheer roughly commensurate to the amount of years it had been lodged in the communal memory bank. Reunited with its original string arrangement, Weller’s best Style Council song Shout to the Top seemed to mainline the last rays of the London sunshine outside. A magnificently pounding version of Wild Wood benefited from a guest turn by the new female South London soul singer Rox, who stayed on for a smoulderingly intense version of How Sweet it is to Be Loved by You.
Whether or not it was enough to hasten diehard fans back for more remains a moot point. They shouted long and hard for a second encore, partly in the realisation that Eton Rifles, A Town Called Malice and That’s Entertainment — all Jam songs he has played in recent years — had yet to be aired. But when Weller finally returned, it was for the gauzy lysergic pairing of Black River and Pieces of a Dream.
A brief on-stage conflab followed, with the singer clearly deciding that his work here was done. Some onlookers begged to differ, no doubt deciding that, next time, their money might be better spent going to see a Jam tribute band.
_________
Review From The Independent:
By Andy Gill
"The Changingman", "Aim High", "Brand New Start", "Wake Up the Nation" – one of the most constant themes throughout Paul Weller's solo career has been the notion of change, of pushing forward into the future. It's what separated him from many of his punk contemporaries, who, having scorched the earth of their own musical ambitions, inhabited that barren landscape like cavemen for a short while before doing the decent thing and becoming extinct.
Tonight, Weller opens his show with another anthem of change, the clipped funk of "Into Tomorrow", before a set largely drawn from his new album, Wake Up the Nation. There's no shortage of drive or energy, but the crowd seems unmoved. Even "Moonshine", the punchy album opener, draws scant response: no moshing, no pogoing, barely even a nodding head. It's as if there's a collective thought-bubble above their heads, willing their hero to get this new stuff over with and do "Eton Rifles" or "Going Underground" instead.
It's not uncommon for artists with careers of any longevity to fall foul of their fans' expectations, but Weller's case seems particularly acute; his audience is like an anchor trying to keep him as they most fondly remember him. And clearly, that's not with a toothsome eight-piece string section sat stage left, adding a symphonic soul edge to songs such as "Aim High" and "No Tears to Cry", or lending sweet support when he settles behind the piano for "Invisible".
Things improve with the brusque, assertive "From the Floorboards Up", but the roar of assent which greets Weller's announcement of "an old song" is telling. "Shout to the Top" is warmly received, but it's not until the brittle intro to "Start" that the crowd really gets energised. Following it with the similarly terse "Fast Car/Slow Traffic" is a smart move, luring some of the throng to continue pogoing – but by that time, the most ambitious offerings have gone comparatively unrewarded.
The multi-sectional "Trees", for instance, may be the weirdest thing Weller's ever played, shifting through chunky boogie, swirling reverie and gospelly soul before leaving the singer isolated with his memories, wishing he could "stand tall and feel once more a tree". That's followed by "One Bright Star", which he introduces, not inaccurately, as "a psychedelic tango thing". A few songs earlier, maximum heaviosity was arguably achieved when one song plunged into a cosmic breakdown section whose psychedelic fizzing synth lines, mellotron strings and all-round free-form freak-out abandonment reminded me of long-gone nights groping for secure mental footing at Hawkwind concerts.
More impressive was "7 & 3 Is the Striker's Name", in which the new album's tropes of brisk, clarion-call rocker and brief, jazzy breakdown moments were fruitfully reconciled and visually echoed in the maelstrom of flashing strobes and swooping spotlights wheeling around the hall. With the adapted RAF logo on one of Weller's speaker combos occasionally visible through the dizzying spectacle, it was akin to being caught in the Blitz – a vertiginous thrill which hopefully his fans will come to appreciate when these new songs are as venerated as his past hits.
A few pics from us at PWnews!
Pics from Denise Maskew, thanks for these!
Special Guest Roxanne TataeiSet List:
Into Tomorrow
7 & 3 Is The Strikers Name
Aim High
Up The Dosage
Moonshine
From The Floorboards Up
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
Porcelain Gods
Wake Up The Nation
Invisible
Trees
One Bright Star
No Tears To Cry
Shout To The Top
Broken Stones
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) w/Rox
Wild Wood w/Rox
Pretty Green
Start
Fast Car / Slow Traffic
Come On, Lets Go
---
Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
Art School
Scrape Away
---
Black River
Pieces Of Dream
Review From The Times Online:
By Pete Paphides
With Wild Wood, in 1993, Paul Weller rediscovered his mojo just in time to soak up a few plaudits as Britpop’s tribal elder. In snobbier circles, however, a certain mistrust persisted. When Britpop devolved into dad-rock, Weller’s detractors held him accountable. How could he have the gall to put out a song called The Changingman when Weller was still wearing the same Mod threads he had been wearing two decades previously?
Lately, though that outward sameness has begun to seem like a clever smokescreen. Recent albums — 22 Dreams (2008) and Wake Up the Nation this year— have been inspired exercises in free-spirited experimentation. And yet the Fred Perry-wearing contingent of Weller’s fanbase kept the faith. At the first of a lengthy Albert Hall residency, however, you had to wonder how long some of them might keep doing so. The black-clad 52-year-old singer ventured that shows in the early part of the week are “traditionally a little bit quiet, but tonight’s different, I think”.
The “I think” spoke volumes. Silhouetted by strobes, Weller’s band sounded demonic as they unleashed the feverish staccato psych-mare of 7 + 3 is the Striker’s Name. Shedding his guitar for Aim High, Weller allowed his semi-falsetto to float up while a synergy of strings and Steve Pilgrim’s pile-drivingly funky drumming seemed to compel a physical response. And yet, viewed from above, you would swear that you had seen more animated bus queues than the gazing throng.
Under the circumstances then, a rocket-fuelled delivery of Weller’s 1995 call to action From the Floorboards Up had the feeling of an emergency tutorial, while almost every other song played received a cheer roughly commensurate to the amount of years it had been lodged in the communal memory bank. Reunited with its original string arrangement, Weller’s best Style Council song Shout to the Top seemed to mainline the last rays of the London sunshine outside. A magnificently pounding version of Wild Wood benefited from a guest turn by the new female South London soul singer Rox, who stayed on for a smoulderingly intense version of How Sweet it is to Be Loved by You.
Whether or not it was enough to hasten diehard fans back for more remains a moot point. They shouted long and hard for a second encore, partly in the realisation that Eton Rifles, A Town Called Malice and That’s Entertainment — all Jam songs he has played in recent years — had yet to be aired. But when Weller finally returned, it was for the gauzy lysergic pairing of Black River and Pieces of a Dream.
A brief on-stage conflab followed, with the singer clearly deciding that his work here was done. Some onlookers begged to differ, no doubt deciding that, next time, their money might be better spent going to see a Jam tribute band.
_________
Review From The Independent:
By Andy Gill
"The Changingman", "Aim High", "Brand New Start", "Wake Up the Nation" – one of the most constant themes throughout Paul Weller's solo career has been the notion of change, of pushing forward into the future. It's what separated him from many of his punk contemporaries, who, having scorched the earth of their own musical ambitions, inhabited that barren landscape like cavemen for a short while before doing the decent thing and becoming extinct.
Tonight, Weller opens his show with another anthem of change, the clipped funk of "Into Tomorrow", before a set largely drawn from his new album, Wake Up the Nation. There's no shortage of drive or energy, but the crowd seems unmoved. Even "Moonshine", the punchy album opener, draws scant response: no moshing, no pogoing, barely even a nodding head. It's as if there's a collective thought-bubble above their heads, willing their hero to get this new stuff over with and do "Eton Rifles" or "Going Underground" instead.
It's not uncommon for artists with careers of any longevity to fall foul of their fans' expectations, but Weller's case seems particularly acute; his audience is like an anchor trying to keep him as they most fondly remember him. And clearly, that's not with a toothsome eight-piece string section sat stage left, adding a symphonic soul edge to songs such as "Aim High" and "No Tears to Cry", or lending sweet support when he settles behind the piano for "Invisible".
Things improve with the brusque, assertive "From the Floorboards Up", but the roar of assent which greets Weller's announcement of "an old song" is telling. "Shout to the Top" is warmly received, but it's not until the brittle intro to "Start" that the crowd really gets energised. Following it with the similarly terse "Fast Car/Slow Traffic" is a smart move, luring some of the throng to continue pogoing – but by that time, the most ambitious offerings have gone comparatively unrewarded.
The multi-sectional "Trees", for instance, may be the weirdest thing Weller's ever played, shifting through chunky boogie, swirling reverie and gospelly soul before leaving the singer isolated with his memories, wishing he could "stand tall and feel once more a tree". That's followed by "One Bright Star", which he introduces, not inaccurately, as "a psychedelic tango thing". A few songs earlier, maximum heaviosity was arguably achieved when one song plunged into a cosmic breakdown section whose psychedelic fizzing synth lines, mellotron strings and all-round free-form freak-out abandonment reminded me of long-gone nights groping for secure mental footing at Hawkwind concerts.
More impressive was "7 & 3 Is the Striker's Name", in which the new album's tropes of brisk, clarion-call rocker and brief, jazzy breakdown moments were fruitfully reconciled and visually echoed in the maelstrom of flashing strobes and swooping spotlights wheeling around the hall. With the adapted RAF logo on one of Weller's speaker combos occasionally visible through the dizzying spectacle, it was akin to being caught in the Blitz – a vertiginous thrill which hopefully his fans will come to appreciate when these new songs are as venerated as his past hits.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Paul Weller's "Wake Up The Nation" Reviewed By National Public Radio In The USA!
By: Bob Boilen
May 23, 2010
When The Jam was making pop-infused music in the heyday of punk, Paul Weller was a vital singer and songwriter. But in the years since, fans would be forgiven for losing interest, as his work in Style Council made way for a string of often spotty solo records. But Weller's new one, Wake Up the Nation, is a real sleeper — and, in the end, a joy to hear. The album will stream here in its entirety until its release on June 1.
To be honest, Wake Up the Nation didn't fully capture my imagination until about a quarter of the way in, when it really takes off. "Andromeda," for example, is a psychedelic affair that conjures memories of The Move at its best; the song falls apart and pulls itself back together with an inspired chorus and impeccable guitar line. From there, Wake Up the Nation is off on an aural adventure — a kind of time-traveling expedition back to 1966, when experimentation equaled fun and not some sort of intellectual exercise.
Wake Up the Nation finds Weller again collaborating with his old Jam bandmate, Bruce Foxton. Both had recently lost loved ones, and used the experience as inspiration to get together again — with help from My Bloody Valentine guitarist Kevin Shields (in "7 & 3 Is the Striker's Name"), among others.
May 23, 2010
When The Jam was making pop-infused music in the heyday of punk, Paul Weller was a vital singer and songwriter. But in the years since, fans would be forgiven for losing interest, as his work in Style Council made way for a string of often spotty solo records. But Weller's new one, Wake Up the Nation, is a real sleeper — and, in the end, a joy to hear. The album will stream here in its entirety until its release on June 1.
To be honest, Wake Up the Nation didn't fully capture my imagination until about a quarter of the way in, when it really takes off. "Andromeda," for example, is a psychedelic affair that conjures memories of The Move at its best; the song falls apart and pulls itself back together with an inspired chorus and impeccable guitar line. From there, Wake Up the Nation is off on an aural adventure — a kind of time-traveling expedition back to 1966, when experimentation equaled fun and not some sort of intellectual exercise.
Wake Up the Nation finds Weller again collaborating with his old Jam bandmate, Bruce Foxton. Both had recently lost loved ones, and used the experience as inspiration to get together again — with help from My Bloody Valentine guitarist Kevin Shields (in "7 & 3 Is the Striker's Name"), among others.
Paul Weller Interview With The Telegraph!
Paul Weller comes striding down Regent Street in blazing sunshine, every inch the Modfather in dark flared jeans, navy V-neck and a platinum grey, feathercut hairdo that only a rock star could carry off. Tanned and slim, Weller moves with purposeful speed, so that by the time people have realised who he is, he is already gone. It might be a metaphor for his musical career, the ever-changing moods that have carried him through the mod punk of The Jam, playful agit-pop of The Style Council and photo-Britrock of his solo career. Heads turn in his wake, smiles appearing on faces. Britain loves Weller. Stylish, angry, passionate, self-questioning and devoted to some vague yet honourable notion of authenticity in music and life, he has been a constant presence in our pop landscape for over thirty years.
"I'm going to be 52 this year, I've done half a century, which is pretty fundamental really," says Weller, settling down in a café to a pot of tea. "I know I look different but I don't feel any different. It's a cliché but only cos its true: music does keep people young. I'm not a teenager, I see my place in the scheme of things, but as much as we don't want to appear stupid and look like the oldest swinger in town, I don't think you should be trapped by your age. You have to act how you feel."
Last month, Weller released the most critically acclaimed set of his solo career. Wake Up The Nation bristles with attack, energy and imagination, a mad, psychedelic-beat-soul-punk-jazz sound clash. that recalls the anger, dreaminess and eclecticism of latter-day Jam. "It's quite liberating to get to a certain age, cos you're not chasing number one hits or trying to be an international superstar. I've done all that. I'm not out to prove much more to anyone but myself really, to be an artist and see if there is a new undiscovered music out there for me to make. That's the starting point, beyond that I don't know."
It takes persistence to coax these statements from Weller. Not that he is a difficult person to interview, he is friendly and direct but "I don't know" is one of his most frequently used phrases. "I haven't got the answer to all these questions," he declares at one point, even though the questions are about his own personal motivations. This is the sometimes disconcerting gap between Weller the probing, sensitive, self-questioning artist and the man who expresses himself with a kind of working class bluster.
For all his apparent idealism, he has quite a rock and roll reputation, at least when it comes to drink and women. He has children by three different partners, and in 2008 left his girlfriend of 13 years to take up with a backing singer less than half his age, Hannah Andrews (now 25). There is YouTube footage of the happy couple sprawled inebriated on the pavement outside a pub in Prague. But Weller strongly objects to any attempts to define him in the narrow terms of his art. "I think it is possible for someone to write something very beautiful and still go for a kebab afterwards and get plastered and fall over in the street. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm not anti-intellectual, I'm not anti-arty people, but we all live accordingly. Some of that involves being drunk, some of it involves taking the kids down the park. There isn't just one side to it. It's dangerous to box anyone into just one dimension really. People should be given more credit than that."
Weller's father, John, died last year, after a long and debilitating illness. The two were very close (John managed his son for his entire career), but, if anything, his passing seems to be reflected in Weller's growing sense of creative freedom. "You've got to accept, it's sad, but it's part of the cycle, it's beyond our control, and you have to sort of give thanks and praise for what we have got. Life is sweet, but it's also very short. And I ain't got too much time to mess about, I think you've just got to get hold of it and enjoy a day like today is, all the nice things in life, grab hold of them and accept that this is our life here on earth. " Which is one reason why we will never see a Jam reunion, despite the presence of Bruce Foxton on Weller's new album. "It'll never ever happen. Bruce played on two tracks which is nice, it was fun to do, but that's as far as it goes. All those reunions, when they say in interviews we wanted to get back together because there was so much unfinished business, its all rubbish. Just say you're doing it for the money. They're most of them travelling separately to the gigs, so they can't have missed each other that much, can they? I've got too little time, and too much to do in that little time."
Next Monday, Weller kicks off five consecutive dates at the Royal Albert Hall. He appears genuinely thrilled to be back on the road again. "It's what I always wanted to do, from the time I was a little kid. When I told my mum I was going to play my first gig when I was 14, she couldn't believe it, cause I was painfully shy at that time. But I just done it, put my head down and got through it. And I suppose there's still a little bit of that, even though it's many years later and I've been doing it for a long time. There is a shy side to me that evaporates when I play on stage, and I like that. I think its another facet of my character and I need to do that." Weller views music as a noble profession. "I can't think of anything finer or more exciting to do in life. Not everybody's going to become a star, but even if you're talking about a solitary figure on stage with an acoustic guitar holding the minds and hearts of a handful of a people, I've seen that and it's just as incredible as someone doing it to a stadium of tens of thousands. Music is the most natural thing in the world. When we go to a gig and we all like it and we share that experience, it's the same sense of communion as a sacred rite in Borneo or wherever it may be, it just gets dressed up different. Its good for the soul."
With his half century behind him, Weller has no intention of slowing down. "I never get embarrassed about whether I should still be playing music. I sometimes see people my age at gigs, and you can tell they really want to have it, but maybe they think its not appropriate, or the wife said to take it easy. But this is rock and roll! Before the war, when people were fifty they were considered old. It's different for us, we've grown up through Little Richard, the Fabs, the Pistols. We're the rock and roll generation. We've got our own history to write."
By Neil McCormick
The Telegraph
"I'm going to be 52 this year, I've done half a century, which is pretty fundamental really," says Weller, settling down in a café to a pot of tea. "I know I look different but I don't feel any different. It's a cliché but only cos its true: music does keep people young. I'm not a teenager, I see my place in the scheme of things, but as much as we don't want to appear stupid and look like the oldest swinger in town, I don't think you should be trapped by your age. You have to act how you feel."
Last month, Weller released the most critically acclaimed set of his solo career. Wake Up The Nation bristles with attack, energy and imagination, a mad, psychedelic-beat-soul-punk-jazz sound clash. that recalls the anger, dreaminess and eclecticism of latter-day Jam. "It's quite liberating to get to a certain age, cos you're not chasing number one hits or trying to be an international superstar. I've done all that. I'm not out to prove much more to anyone but myself really, to be an artist and see if there is a new undiscovered music out there for me to make. That's the starting point, beyond that I don't know."
It takes persistence to coax these statements from Weller. Not that he is a difficult person to interview, he is friendly and direct but "I don't know" is one of his most frequently used phrases. "I haven't got the answer to all these questions," he declares at one point, even though the questions are about his own personal motivations. This is the sometimes disconcerting gap between Weller the probing, sensitive, self-questioning artist and the man who expresses himself with a kind of working class bluster.
For all his apparent idealism, he has quite a rock and roll reputation, at least when it comes to drink and women. He has children by three different partners, and in 2008 left his girlfriend of 13 years to take up with a backing singer less than half his age, Hannah Andrews (now 25). There is YouTube footage of the happy couple sprawled inebriated on the pavement outside a pub in Prague. But Weller strongly objects to any attempts to define him in the narrow terms of his art. "I think it is possible for someone to write something very beautiful and still go for a kebab afterwards and get plastered and fall over in the street. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm not anti-intellectual, I'm not anti-arty people, but we all live accordingly. Some of that involves being drunk, some of it involves taking the kids down the park. There isn't just one side to it. It's dangerous to box anyone into just one dimension really. People should be given more credit than that."
Weller's father, John, died last year, after a long and debilitating illness. The two were very close (John managed his son for his entire career), but, if anything, his passing seems to be reflected in Weller's growing sense of creative freedom. "You've got to accept, it's sad, but it's part of the cycle, it's beyond our control, and you have to sort of give thanks and praise for what we have got. Life is sweet, but it's also very short. And I ain't got too much time to mess about, I think you've just got to get hold of it and enjoy a day like today is, all the nice things in life, grab hold of them and accept that this is our life here on earth. " Which is one reason why we will never see a Jam reunion, despite the presence of Bruce Foxton on Weller's new album. "It'll never ever happen. Bruce played on two tracks which is nice, it was fun to do, but that's as far as it goes. All those reunions, when they say in interviews we wanted to get back together because there was so much unfinished business, its all rubbish. Just say you're doing it for the money. They're most of them travelling separately to the gigs, so they can't have missed each other that much, can they? I've got too little time, and too much to do in that little time."
Next Monday, Weller kicks off five consecutive dates at the Royal Albert Hall. He appears genuinely thrilled to be back on the road again. "It's what I always wanted to do, from the time I was a little kid. When I told my mum I was going to play my first gig when I was 14, she couldn't believe it, cause I was painfully shy at that time. But I just done it, put my head down and got through it. And I suppose there's still a little bit of that, even though it's many years later and I've been doing it for a long time. There is a shy side to me that evaporates when I play on stage, and I like that. I think its another facet of my character and I need to do that." Weller views music as a noble profession. "I can't think of anything finer or more exciting to do in life. Not everybody's going to become a star, but even if you're talking about a solitary figure on stage with an acoustic guitar holding the minds and hearts of a handful of a people, I've seen that and it's just as incredible as someone doing it to a stadium of tens of thousands. Music is the most natural thing in the world. When we go to a gig and we all like it and we share that experience, it's the same sense of communion as a sacred rite in Borneo or wherever it may be, it just gets dressed up different. Its good for the soul."
With his half century behind him, Weller has no intention of slowing down. "I never get embarrassed about whether I should still be playing music. I sometimes see people my age at gigs, and you can tell they really want to have it, but maybe they think its not appropriate, or the wife said to take it easy. But this is rock and roll! Before the war, when people were fifty they were considered old. It's different for us, we've grown up through Little Richard, the Fabs, the Pistols. We're the rock and roll generation. We've got our own history to write."
By Neil McCormick
The Telegraph
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Pre-Order Paul Weller's New Single, "Find The Torch, Burn The Plans"
Includes CD Single & two 7 Inch Singles
Released June 14th , 2010
CD Single:
1. Find The Torch / Burn The Plans
2. All I Wanna Do (Acoustic from Berlin)
3. Moonshine (from the Radio 2 Theatre)
Vinyl #1
1. Find The Torch / Burn The Plans
2. How Sweet It Is (from the Radio 2 Theatre)
Vinyl#2
1. Find The Torch / Burn The Plans
2. Pieces Of A Dream (from the Radio 2 Theatre)
Special Pre-Order Price for all three, only 6.99!
HERE!
Note: This info comes from Townsend Records and we are not sure if the track list is correct as most news releases for the single have "Aim High" as part of the double A side, which is not listed in Townsend's info.
Paul Weller In Koln, Germany - Set List!
May 18, 2010
Set List Courtesy Of Vortex242
01. Intro
02. Seaspray
03. Aim High
04. Into Tomorrow
05. Moonshine
06. Up The Dosage
07. Wake Up The Nation
08. Strange Town
09. Trees
10. Let It Be Me >
11. Empty Ring
12. One Bright Star
13. Dust And Rocks (false guitar start)
14. Dust And Rocks
15. No Tears To Cry
16. 7&3 Is The Strikers Name
17. Pretty Green
18. Start!
19. Fast Car / Slow Traffic
20. Come On / Let's Go
---
21. Black River
22. Broken Stones
23. Pieces Of A Dream
---
24. Find The Torch, Burn The Plan
25. Art School
26. Scrape Away
---
27. Wild Wood
28. Echoes Round The Sun
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Watch Paul Weller's Thursday Night Royal Albert Gig LIVE On-Line!
Paul's Thursday, 27th May concert from The Royal Albert Hall will be broadcast live via The Concert Channel. You can purchase tickets to view the gig from any computer in the world. The folks over at FanShake are running a fun little competition to win a free pass to view the gig. There will be two lucky winners. Get on over and enter. All submissions are voted on by the people, so it's not a random thing.
Paul Weller In Brussels - Set List!
22 Dreams
The Changingman
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
Sea Spray
Aim High
Into Tomorrow
All I Wanna Do
Porcelain Gods
Trees
Empty Ring
You Do Something To Me
Shout To The Top
Fast Car Slow Traffic
Pretty Green
Start!
Come On Let's Go
All On A Misty Morning
Mistress Brown
Everything Has A Price To Pay
Find The Torch Burn The Plans
Art School
Scrape Away
Pieces Of A Dream
Monday, 17 May 2010
Paul Weller's Next Single Released On June 14th!
Image Is The Promo CD.
Paul Weller has announced he will release a new double A-side single on June 14th, digitaly, on CD and on two 7″ vinyl records.
The two tracks that will feature on the release are "Find The Torch, Burn the Plans" and "Aim High," which are taken from Paul’s recent album “Wake Up The Nation”.
Speaking about Find The Torch Paul explained: “Thematically, it ties in with the title track of the album. We’ve got to reclaim our heritage and our culture. Claim it back from the fucking politicians and the establishment. My daughter (Leah) and her mate sang on it too.”
“Aim High was initially one phrase repeated over and over. I hit that falsetto voice, which was nice because I haven’t used it for a long time. Once I had the melody I wrote the words really quickly.”
B-sides are still to be confirmed.
Paul Weller On Jools Holland's BBC Radio 2 Show Tonight!
"Jools Holland with guest Paul Weller. Paul joins Jools and the band on an impromptu version of the Dinah Washington song, 'What A Difference A Day Made'."
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Paul Weller In Amsterdam - 2nd Night Set List!
Set List (5/14):
Into Tomorrow
Aim High
Sea Spray
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
From The Floorboards Up
Peacock Suit
Trees
Invisible
One Bright Star
Shout To The Top!
No Tears To Cry
Andromeda
Pieces Of A Dream
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Pretty Green
Start!
Wake Up The Nation
Fast Car, Slow Traffic
Come On, Let’s Go
---
Everything Has A Price To Pay
All On A Misty Morning
Brand New Start
---
Echoes Round The Sun
Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
Art School
Whirlpool’s End
Friday, 14 May 2010
Paul Weller In Amsterdam! Set List...
Set List (5/13):
Moonshine
Up The Dosage
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
From The Floorboards Up
Strange Town
7 & 3 Is The Strikers Name
Trees
Let It Be Me
No Tears To Cry
Shout To The Top!!
Pieces Of A Dream
Broken Stones
Wild Wood
Wake Up The Nation
Dust & Rocks
Fast Car/Slow Traffic
Start!
Come On/Let’s Go
---
Black River
Find The Torch, Burn The Plans
Art School
The Changing Man
---
Out Of The Sinking
Scrape Away
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Paul Weller Reunites With Jam Bassist on 'Wake Up the Nation'
Paul Weller Reunites With Jam Bassist on 'Wake Up the Nation'
Posted on May 12th 2010 4:00PM by Kenneth Partridge
From Spinner.com
When it came time to record 'Fast Car/Slow Traffic,' one of the punchier songs on his forthcoming 10th solo album, 'Wake Up the Nation,' Paul Weller knew a guy who might sound good on bass.
In terms of both music and lyrics, the tune updates 'London Traffic,' which Weller penned more than 30 years ago for 'This Is the Modern World,' the sophomore album by his now-legendary mod-punk trio the Jam. It made sense, then, for Jam bassist Bruce Foxton -- with whom Weller hadn't played since the group's breakup in 1982 -- to lay down one of his inimitable lines.
"It wasn't a big monumental thing," Weller tells Spinner, downplaying the significance of the two-thirds Jam reunion. "It was just two musicians playing music. It kind of opened up a dialogue between us. It made things a little easier, rather than meeting at a café or something. The bulls--- really stays outside when you're playing music."
Weller and Foxton had been in touch prior to the session, discussing the possibility of working together. Both lost loved ones last year -- Weller his father, Foxton his wife -- and the musicians bonded over the shared experience. The reconciliation came after some 20 years of not speaking with each other.
"We were both a little cautious or nervous or whatever at first, but once the music started playing and he started playing his bass, everyone was OK," Weller says. "I think music is a common ground we all meet on, really. You leave your baggage outside and get on with the task. It was fine -- we had a laugh doing it. I can't say anything different."
Foxton plays on two 'Wake Up the Nation' tracks, the other being 'She Speaks,' a slinky psychedelic tune that sounds nothing like the Jam. Weller praises the bassist's work on both songs, and he says he's not fazed by the prospect of answering what's sure to be a new round of reunion questions.
"It's not going to make too much difference," Weller says. "There's absolutely no way I'd want to do that, but I was very happy we played on a track together. It's a personal thing. It's just nice."
Posted on May 12th 2010 4:00PM by Kenneth Partridge
From Spinner.com
When it came time to record 'Fast Car/Slow Traffic,' one of the punchier songs on his forthcoming 10th solo album, 'Wake Up the Nation,' Paul Weller knew a guy who might sound good on bass.
In terms of both music and lyrics, the tune updates 'London Traffic,' which Weller penned more than 30 years ago for 'This Is the Modern World,' the sophomore album by his now-legendary mod-punk trio the Jam. It made sense, then, for Jam bassist Bruce Foxton -- with whom Weller hadn't played since the group's breakup in 1982 -- to lay down one of his inimitable lines.
"It wasn't a big monumental thing," Weller tells Spinner, downplaying the significance of the two-thirds Jam reunion. "It was just two musicians playing music. It kind of opened up a dialogue between us. It made things a little easier, rather than meeting at a café or something. The bulls--- really stays outside when you're playing music."
Weller and Foxton had been in touch prior to the session, discussing the possibility of working together. Both lost loved ones last year -- Weller his father, Foxton his wife -- and the musicians bonded over the shared experience. The reconciliation came after some 20 years of not speaking with each other.
"We were both a little cautious or nervous or whatever at first, but once the music started playing and he started playing his bass, everyone was OK," Weller says. "I think music is a common ground we all meet on, really. You leave your baggage outside and get on with the task. It was fine -- we had a laugh doing it. I can't say anything different."
Foxton plays on two 'Wake Up the Nation' tracks, the other being 'She Speaks,' a slinky psychedelic tune that sounds nothing like the Jam. Weller praises the bassist's work on both songs, and he says he's not fazed by the prospect of answering what's sure to be a new round of reunion questions.
"It's not going to make too much difference," Weller says. "There's absolutely no way I'd want to do that, but I was very happy we played on a track together. It's a personal thing. It's just nice."
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Paul Weller's Woking Benefit Show Is SOLD OUT!
We've been informed by the organiser that Paul's benefit show for the "Woking And Sam Beare Hospice" on June 6th has now SOLD OUT! Thanks for supporting such a wonderful cause.
Monday, 10 May 2010
Paul Weller's "Wake Up The Nation" - Review From The Boston Globe!
Paul Weller, 'Wake Up the Nation'
May 10, 2010
MARC HIRSH
Paul Weller sounds fired up all over “Wake Up the Nation,’’ his upcoming album that’s already available as an import. Apparently years away from exhaustion, the former Jam/Style Council kingpin proves himself energetic and vital well into his fourth decade of making music. If only he wasn’t doing his best impression of an overstimulated rookie scrambling to get as many ideas down as urgently as possible because he might never get another chance. His voice crosses David Bowie and John Lydon on the title track (which fits a song pitched halfway between “Suffragette City’’ and “Holidays in the Sun’’), while “Trees’’ is a rollicking New Orleans-style piano romp. Weller’s so all over the map that even the best tracks — like “7&3 Is the Strikers Name,’’ whose drum part is a lone snare placed right up front where a lead guitar would normally be — sound like ideas instead of songs. The closing “Two Fat Ladies’’ is a swinging blast, but it doesn’t build to anything and slams the album shut instead of ending it. “Wake Up the Nation’’ rocks with abandon, to be sure. What it needs is cohesion. (Out June 1)
May 10, 2010
MARC HIRSH
Paul Weller sounds fired up all over “Wake Up the Nation,’’ his upcoming album that’s already available as an import. Apparently years away from exhaustion, the former Jam/Style Council kingpin proves himself energetic and vital well into his fourth decade of making music. If only he wasn’t doing his best impression of an overstimulated rookie scrambling to get as many ideas down as urgently as possible because he might never get another chance. His voice crosses David Bowie and John Lydon on the title track (which fits a song pitched halfway between “Suffragette City’’ and “Holidays in the Sun’’), while “Trees’’ is a rollicking New Orleans-style piano romp. Weller’s so all over the map that even the best tracks — like “7&3 Is the Strikers Name,’’ whose drum part is a lone snare placed right up front where a lead guitar would normally be — sound like ideas instead of songs. The closing “Two Fat Ladies’’ is a swinging blast, but it doesn’t build to anything and slams the album shut instead of ending it. “Wake Up the Nation’’ rocks with abandon, to be sure. What it needs is cohesion. (Out June 1)
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