Paul Weller
Westcliff-On-Sea Cliffs Pavilion
8th November, 2008

View: middle, balcony

With a two-hour set and material from 1979-2008, this was premium Weller. He referenced yet transcended all his influences: this was Neil Young at his most coruscating (Shadow Of The Sun); Curtis Mayfield at his sweetest (Shout To The Top); Pentangle at their most adventurous (Light Nights). With his latest outfit joining long-term lieutenant Steve Cradock, there was something edgy and on-the-money, with Weller overseeing it all. His on-stage swagger has become a snake-hipped boogaloo. By The Butterfly Collector, it almost came as a shock to hear a Jam song. But where others trade on the past, Weller is firmly into tomorrow. With controversy caused in the following days by his repeated sparking up onstage, he’s not lost that anti-authority streak. Or maybe he just fancied a fag. Whatever, quite a night.

Reviewed by Tom Byford
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