Paul Weller Moves On Up at the Castle

Photo: @paulwellerHQ

Like so many people of my generation I grew up listening to The Jam. The ‘angry young man’ that was lead singer Paul Weller produced songs that resonated with my teenage years. Modern World, News of the World, In the City, That’s Entertainment, Town Called Malice – a song that resonated with me during my time in Aberdeen - these and many more made such an impact on me and millions of others all around the world…


It’s one of my regrets that I never got the chance to see The Jam live. Weller split from the band in 1982, the year I first got married but after a spell with The Style Council, his solo career has taken off. Thankfully, I’ve now seen the great man live three times in recent years – with his gig at Edinburgh Castle last Thursday the latest.

The weather forecast for that evening had not been promising. I had been keeping a weather watch in the days leading up to the event; heavy rain had been forecast which then moved on up (do you see what I did there?) to thunderstorms from mid-afternoon to late evening. That literally threatened to put a dampener on things. However, the weather Gods must also be aficionados of Mr Weller because the rain didn’t materialise, and Thursday evening saw the clouds part and the sun shine on the majestic Edinburgh Castle.

The support act   - The Sound Foundation – set the tone with a Welleresque set before the great man himself appeared around 8.30pm. A truly sublime two hours followed. 

In his recent gigs I’ve attended, Weller has tended to focus more on his solo compositions and latest album releases, with the odd Jam number thrown in. On Thursday, Weller played far more songs from The Jam – Man in a Corner Shop, Precious, That’s Entertainment to name a few – as well as some numbers from The Style Council (Shout to the Top has always been my favourite Style Council song) 

He also performed some of his more memorable solo numbers such as Wildwood, From the Floorboards Up and the heart-tugging You Do Something To Me.

Naturally, Weller’s well-deserved encore just had to include Town Called Malice. His adoring audience simply lapped him up. 

Paul Weller never disappoints. On Thursday at the magnificent setting that is Edinburgh Castle he excelled yet again. 

Long live the Modfather.