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Review: Paul Weller at Dalby Forest ****
THE Mod cut may be greying, he may have hit 50 and it's nearly 40 years since The Jam formed, but Paul Weller is a man who knows how to keep an audience entertained.
Weller, once one of the angriest men in pop, has matured into a live performer few can rival, thanks to decades treading the world's stages and the chance to plunder a back catalogue littered with bona fide classics.
His gig in Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire gave a whirlwind ride through his musical past from the teen rebellion of The Jam right up to date with the title track from his latest album, 22 Dreams.
It perhaps came as no great surprise to the vast majority of the audience that Weller's 1990s rebirth featured heavily – many of the crowd were in their late 20s and 30s and would have been there to see the hits the first time around.
The set was opened with Peacock Suit, and the next 90 minutes were peppered by The Changing Man, Wild Wood and an emotion-charged You Do Something To Me. But the biggest cheers were reserved for the oldest hits.
The Style Council's Shout to the Top featured early on, but it was when Weller gave a rendition of The Eton Rifles, the lyrics of which still remain as politically razor sharp as they did back in 1979, that the atmosphere became electric.
Any band that can keep the audience baying for a second encore is obviously worth their salt live. But then how many bands can climax their set with songs of the calibre of That's Entertainment and A Town Called Malice?
He may be embracing middle age but The Modfather is as relevant to today's music scene as he ever was.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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