Gig review: Paul Weller at York Barbican

Paul Weller at York Barbican. Picture: Sarah Smith Photography

The British rock legend had fans old and young dancing along hits from his extensive discography including songs from his time in The Style Council and, of course, The Jam.

The set opened with support from none other than Mollie Marriott, daughter of the late Small Faces frontman and guitarist Steve Marriott. The hugely talented singer-songwriter, who has been described as “infectiously vivacious, soulful and connected”, led a passionate performance for the Yorkshire crowd, who didn’t fail to show their appreciation as they waited for Weller to take the stage.

After thanking the fans and a quick turnover from production the house lights dimmed and Weller took his place to begin his two and a half hour set, in which he played through his discography of classic hits.

Weller welcomed the crowd with his opening number White Sky from his 2015 album Saturn’s Pattern, the electronic riffs and powerful lyrics had the crowd in a frenzy and Weller looked happy to be back. He then went on to play The Attic, Have You Ever Had it Blue and Going My Way.

The rock icon then took fans in a different direction with the first of two encores. Weller took on an acoustic set consisting of Monday, Wild Wood and a cover of John Lennon’s Love, which struck a chord with the crowd who seemed to love the stripped back acoustics of his voice and his guitar.

While Weller played a mix of the old and new throughout the night it was great to see the reception the new material got, with fans shouting and cheering for Weller when he took a break between songs to change guitars.

The night concluded with a final encore with songs The Impossible Idea, These City Streets and Start, before closing his eclectic set with The Changingman from his 1994 album Stanley Road.

Weller will be playing at venues across the UK before taking on a European tour later this year ahead of his big arena tour in 2018. Fans who haven’t seen him live this time around should look out for upcoming shows as they would not be disappointed by the performance he gives!