Paul Weller tells heckler to 'shut the fuck up, mate' at first of three tiny London shows

Paul Weller launched his new compilation 'More Modern Classics' at Bush Hall last night (May 19) with the first of three tiny London shows.

The 90-minute set dipped into both the new compilation and its 1998 predecessor 'Modern Classics' as well as revisiting every stage of Weller’s career, including songs by The Jam and The Style Council.

Opening with a slew of more recent material such as 'Fast Car/Slow Traffic', 'Wake Up The Nation' and 'That Dangerous Age', Weller initially appeared to be showcasing the new compilation. Speaking only to silence a persistent heckler with a cutting "shut the fuck up, mate", Weller then aired The Style Council’s 'My Ever Changing Moods', shifting the focus towards older material and dropping in more soulful '90s tracks as well as 'Friday Street' and 'Peacock Suit'.

The main set ended with a rapturously received run through The Jam's 'Start!' before a truncated three-song encore, the show closing with ‘The Changingman'.

"It was alright for a first one, first out of the box," Weller said post-show. "It’s always pretty nerve-wracking. I just wanted to play some gigs because we haven’t played for a long time and we’ve got a summer of gigs coming up. We just do what we do whether it's 20,000, 200 or 20 people."

Paul Weller played: -

'Fast Car/Slow Traffic'

'Wake Up The Nation'

'Wild Blue Yonder'

'That Dangerous Age'

'Come On/Let’s Go!'

'From The Floorboards Up'

'Sea Spray'

'My Ever Changing Moods'

'Aim High'

'The Attic'

'Going Places'

'Friday Street'

'Porcelain Gods'

'Above The Clouds'

'7 & 3 Is The Striker’s Name'

'Peacock Suit'

'Start!'

'Out Of The Sinking'

'Andromeda'

'The Changingman'

 

Paul Weller will play: -

London 100 Club (May 20)

London Dingwalls (21)