Photo Credit: Alicia Woods

Undoubtedly one of the most recognisable musicians in Britain, PAUL WELLER has been on the scene for nearly 50 years. With 6 #1 solo albums under his belt in addition to chart topping albums with The Jam and Style Council, the Modfather is extending his career into 2024 with a sold out UK tour in advance of the release of his 17th studio album, ‘66‘. One of the final dates of the tour was at Lincoln’s Engine Shed, when an enthusiastic capacity crowd were there in full force to be a part of his present, nonstop solo career that began in 1992.

The audience exploded in thunderous applause as the lights went down and the band made their way onto the stage, followed shortly after by WELLER, who commanded centre stage. ‘Rip the Pages Up’, from his 2008 album ’22 Dreams’ opened the performance, making it immediately obvious that a number of his older songs will be included.

The brand new single ‘Soul Wandering’, arrived early in the evening. It was then followed by a rendition of ‘A Man of Great Promise’, a hit song from his Style Council days, which was warmly welcomed across the room and had them singing along. After playing a combination of songs from over the years, with the more recent ‘Fat Pop’ and the early 90’s ‘Stanley Road’, it was time for two more hits from The Style Council’s repertoire, ‘Shout to the Top’ and ‘My Ever Changing Moods’, which both encouraged in spectators even more.

Photo Credit: Alicia Woods

‘Start!’ rolled out the red carpet for the Lincoln fans to get more involved, as this upbeat Jam song is a favourite of many and is obviously still enjoyable for WELLER to play live for it to be included in the set. The crowd were swaying from side to side, embracing their spouses, and soaking up every moment of the beloved cult hit ‘Broken Stones’, and still remains one of the most anticipated songs of any performance from the Modfather.

As PAUL introduced the band, each member received a huge reception as each name was called out. The greatest applause went to none other than Steve Cradock, who adds so much to a WELLER show that he often steals the show. The crowd had one final chance to blow off steam on this Friday night with ‘That’s Entertainment’ and ‘A Town Called Malice’, with everybody singing along to the songs as loudly as they could and demonstrating how beloved The Jam’s songs are even now. It was a spectacular way to cap off another incredible night.

Nearly 50 years on, WELLER’s vast experience performing live still hasn’t aged, and knows exactly when to turn it on and make everybody in the room feel young again.