It felt pretty surreal heading to Exhibition Park to see the legendary Paul Weller perform. I used to ride my bike around there as a kid, spending hours attempting (and failing miserably 😂) to master the skate park. Safe to say watching one of the greatest British songwriters of all time play there is much more up my street these days.
What a show. Paul and the band were absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. The musicianship, the energy, the songs… just incredible. It’s one thing listening to those records growing up, but seeing them performed live is something totally different!
One of the best parts of the evening was catching up with Jake, Tom and Ben of Paul’s band. It’s been a while since we were all out on the road together touring with Jools Holland, so it was brilliant to see everyone backstage and have a proper catch-up.
I also finally got to meet Steve Cradock from Ocean Colour Scene, who I’ve only ever spoke to online so it was great to finally meet in person! He was every bit as lovely as I’d hoped.
I’ll never forget the kindness and hospitality of Paul, the band and the crew have shown me. I’ll always be grateful that Paul trusted me enough to tour with half his incredible band and welcomed me into Black Barn Studios to rehearse. Those are experiences I’ll carry with me forever.
It was so nice to spend some time with Paul backstage before the show, chatting about music and what I’ve been up to. It’s always refreshing when someone who’s achieved so much is still so generous with their time, encouragement and advice. Those conversations mean more than people probably realise.
An incredible set, an incredible band, and above all, a genuinely lovely man. Thank you, Paul. It was pleasure. ❤️
