17 June 2023 (gig)
19 June 2023
There couldn’t be a more apt and sublime summer setting than the Wild Wood to watch legendary Modfather Paul Weller.
Having seen Paul play on numerous occasions in all the usual haunts, it was a real tree-t to see him perform in a real-life Wild Wood, as part of this year’s Forest Live series of concerts.
Making a refreshing change from the usual festival restrictions on alcohol and food, Forest Live invited concert-goers to lay down their picnic blankets, break out the snacks and bubbly and drink-in the beautiful surroundings.
With the compact stage nestled among the foliage, a relaxed crowd was able to kick back and enjoy an eclectic support set starting off with singer-songwriter Seb Lowe, whose songs with attitude echoed a young Paul Weller back in his angry young man days.
He was followed by Far From Saints, featuring Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones and The Wind and The Waves’ Patty Lynn and Dwight Baker. Jones’ voice sounds unaltered by the passage of time and blended well with Patty’s soulful sound.
The crowd were well and truly warmed up and raring to go by the time Weller and his band took to the stage. With an impressive jam-packed set-list of 27 songs from his illustrious career, Paul treated fans to two hours of Weller magic.
A dynamic opening started with the upbeat Cosmic Fringes from the recent lockdown album Fat Pop, swiftly followed by From The Floorboards Up and then a string of well-received Style Council hits including Ever Changing Moods and Shout To The Top.
Just before launching into Head Start For Happiness, which he described as an old song, he paid tribute to his long-standing right hand man Steve Craddock who has been playing with Weller now for 30 years.
Fittingly, the band played All The Pictures on the Wall, another tune from the acclaimed 1993 album Wild Wood, Craddock’s first album foray with Paul. Who would have thought that he’d then go on to record a further 15 albums with him? It’s a pairing that has left Craddock firmly ensconced in the hearts of the Weller faithful.
Introducing The Style Council song It’s A Very Deep Sea, Paul told the crowd: “This came out on our last album before we were thrown off and vilified and whatever else, like I give a f***. But anyway, here’s a song off that album which people didn’t like at the time, but I think it’s a great song.”
Other stand-out songs which really suited the surroundings included Wild Wood, On Sunset, Village, Sunflower, Saturn’s Pattern and Above The Clouds, reflecting Paul Weller’s copious references to nature and the metaphysical in his lyrics.
Standing in the shoes of former bassist Andy Crofts was talented Jack Fletcher, who has now taken over the strings for the past year.
Leaving the stage to a blistering performance of Peacock Suit, the crowd waited in anticipation for an absolutely fantastic encore.
Returning to the stage, Paul and his band delighted the fans with a Stanley Road album mega-mix of songs Changing Man, Porcelain Gods, Broken Stones and You Do Something To Me.
Ardent Jam fans may have been disappointed to only hear Start! in the setlist, so no doubt it would have been The Gift of the evening to hear A Town Called Malice as the closing tune – and what a rapturous reception it got!
This setlist shows the remarkable legacy that Weller has built up throughout his incredible career and was a joy from Start to finish, reacquainting fans with some of the hidden gems among the chart-topping Weller classics.
Just like Forestry England’s mission to showcase England’s spectacular trees and woodlands, Forest Live provided us with a chance to celebrate another of our national treasures, Mr Paul Weller. Long may he flourish. Take a bow Mr Weller, we salute you!
Photo credit: Sue Archer
