The first installment of my somewhat inadvertent “The Sun Never Seems to Set on the British Music Empire Tour”
Paul Weller has three distinct chapters to his career. He punched his way to the top of the British punk scene in the last half of the 1970s as leader of The Jam, then folded the band. After a brief hiatus Weller re-emerged with his mod leanings in full effect as ringleader of the wonderfully named Style Council, a bouncier, soulful and jazz-inflected ensemble. He wound down that collective at the end of the 1980s and has since traversed a variety of styles in his ensuing solo years.
All three eras were revisited at The Magnolia, in front of a devoted Anglophile crowd.
Connecting the dots across the many decades of British musical legacy, the artwork of Weller’s current album is by Peter Blake, whose most famous work was the cover of Sgt. Pepper. Weller took the stage to the strains of a track from that album. Indeed, the album title not only reflects Weller’s current age but likely also his favorite year of music.
He then treated us to a generous two hour plus set.
Many of the songs had a sharp ending, which is viable with a band this tight.
The Style Council tracks garnered the most favorable reaction, a trend that started out of the box with “My Ever Changing Moods” through “Headstart for Happiness” and eventually “Have You Ever Had it Blue” about a third of the way through the 31 song set. Weller introduced the latter from the pivotal Absolute Beginners film.
One wonders when the band is in full effect, with all that power behind him if Weller would like to tear into one of his earliest tracks. “In The City” or “Down in The Tube Station At Midnight” have much the same underlying energy, albeit with the then-requisite snarling edge. Only later in the evening would Weller uncork tracks from The Jam, but with less of the piss and vinegar of the earliest years.
The band the other night was a bit less dapper than might have been expected, given Weller’s penchant for the sartorial. But trainers were de rigeur; comfortable footwear being a must for sets this long.
The dual drum attack of Ben Gordelier and Steve Pilgraim softened when various band members shifted positions. Guitarist Steve Craddock leveraged an array of foot pedals to elicit myriad tones, which added a variety of color to the proceedings.
Weller’s vocals were impressively full throated and solid. Once back at full tilt, an instrumental jam extended into Stone Roses territory, not a bad place indeed.
The bulk of the evening was spent with Weller’s expansive solo career, which might be distilled as Northern soul inflected with RnB and Stax seasonings. But that does not do justice to the range of styles on offer.
“Stanley Road” (the title track of a particularly excellent solo album) was well-received.
With over 15 solo albums and a slew of awards, perhaps the most intriguing touchpoint is that Weller tracks Lennon and McCartney as being part of a Top 10 album in five straight decades.
At about the evening’s halfway mark Weller dipped deep and tore through a crowd pleasing “That’s Entertainment,” a later-period Jam track which back then and now used an acoustic guitar to improbably powerful effect. Punters old and young were well pleased.
The highlight of the first encore was another title track from his solo years, “Wild Wood.” For the second encore, Weller served up a pair of late period Jam tracks. The seminal “Start!” was delivered at about ¾ pace. Weller closed the evening with “A Town Called Malice.” But much like Billy Bragg (with whom he crossed paths on the California Coast), Weller let the audience sing the refrain, he never sang the title until the last refrain.
Bold chap!
(live photos by Brad Auerbach, studio shot by Nicole Nodland)
The Sun Never Seems to Set on the British Music Empire Tour:
Wednesday 9/25: Paul Weller, San Diego
Thursday 9/26: Johnny Marr & James, Los Angeles
Friday 9/27: Billy Bragg, Los Angeles
Saturday 9/28: Crowded House, Paso Robles
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