Bournemouth Review, Wigzy and myself remixes! Passion, grace and fire.

First, I Have to thank in a very warm and friendly way Wigzy for so many reasons...and Callan (he's THE Cool!). They considered us as friends, and the world was better! :) We'll meet you again in Brussels and Amsterdam and try to be as friendly as you've been. Won't be easy.

When the man came in that really beautiful venue, he had a smile and something happened... He was really ready to play and to fire the stage from the soil to the roof... It's been a top gig, my best Weller's actually (maybe with Paris 1998), He blew our minds out and kicks any young star's ass when he wants! The total passion for music burnt yesterday in his veins and the fire never really gone out! English crowds are awesome and the audience was beautiful too, Fred Perry, Weller shirts, hair cuts... He had a very clever organisation of the new band and he's also very clever when he's not "in", he couldn't find the voice for "Wishing on star" so he played all the verse on keys before singing again. He's not only a fantastic songwriter, he's also very intuitive and clever with his music. Don't want to appear as an old anoraky chap but SOME young bands should have seen him yesterday (and I'm always keen to discover a new band)... That was a lesson. How to respect the music and an audience, back to basis, lesson 1.



















I've been to many gigs, as always, this year and I've been really disappointed sometimes by a "blasé" attitude. You know the game. He played in two different ways, an awesome electric storm (on a ballroom scene...). The great angry Weller was there, half windmills, the "Weller step" on the left before clutching the guitar again, the full energy at the top (he went to the gym, believe me!). He's still, whatever we can read an angry man. He bumped unfortunately the micro with his mouth and he shots it in a rageful head movement! And he keeps on singing... he really enjoyed the set, the simple fact of being alive and here with us...

The way he uses the new band is really refreshing... Five singers, four guitars players, Everyone can sing and their "Misty morning" version was amazing... The Magic bus quote really impressive. They do enjoy playing together. Steve Pilgrim is not Steve White ( but who is?) and he's smart enough to play in a complete different way. The "Stix" solo was short. I think he had and will have the audience's respect even if it's strange without Stevie. Andy Lewis is a great Musician from Bass to Cello, he is really great, always in the tempo, very intelligent way to play Bass and very very impressive on Cello... He's maybe not really easy with the stage physical presence but he's very very good. Even Stevie evolved, he's no more in the same role...He's still the Lieutenant but in a different way.

Wigzy the Sunflower wrote on Splinters' list: Paul Weller was on fire. The refreshed set totally rocked. The new line-up was vibrant, talented and already working intuitively together. I honestly wasn't expecting this to be `up there' in the list of PW gigs I've attended but I'm going to say: it was in my top three. Paul looked excited and, dare I say it after the rough old promo photos for 22 Dreams we've been seeing in the press, younger. He was genuinely pleased at how well the set was going down with the crowd and had a good few grins to himself as he looked out. He made one mistake: singing the wrong words and having to restart. The crowd laughed and called out jokingly `get off', `boo' and `rubbish' and he just grinned, said he was still learning it and cracked on happily.

Believe me, she's right...It was also wonderful to be "normal" with A Ben Sherman Target Shirt and a Jam Logo on the back! :) My name in french, Viseur, means "aimer", the little thing there is on a gun to help a a sniper to get a target. I let you imagine all the very nice and not heavy "jokes" at all i have to stand when I'm in a mod shirt.. (People Shoot me all day long with imaginery guns and Say "Ah Ah Ah a "Viseur" with a target...So funny...Specially after a million times!) English way to go to a gig is really different from the french one... It's a complete party! :) I felt cool and ok! And JC too. You are a fantastic audience, really. That's exactly why we wanted to see him in England. Nowhere else... Like a sign, when I went back home, exhausted and on cloud nine with JC, the funniest man you can imagine, my so cool wife said than the Richard Barnes' photo book "Mods" was in the mail box!

All We needed was there... so he ended with a beautiful cello version of "All you need is love"... Had a tee shirt and a key ring, like the lifetime fans we've always been. Then Wigzy and Callan found a way to be magic again and to stay in the Opera house... The party wasn't absolutely over. When we took the car to get back home, everything was written in the stars yet.

All the Pics have been taken by Claire "Sunflower" Vickery.

Bournemouth Echo Review