Weller in Brussels, review, the English attempt...

Copyright Alex Vanhee, check his facebook page.

A Weller gig is never only another Weller gig, it’s a complete party, we have rituals, we have to be there around 5 PM, stay in the pubs all around and when you’re anonymous Welleraholic like us, it’s always a bit a ceremony. Oh no, I’m not the ultimate fan, I don’t even have  all the records, and I’m not that sure to love Sonik Kicks, blame and shame on me but I can’t listen it from the beginning to the end. But it’s Weller and he moved forward, once again. It’s great and I love him for that. There’s nothing rational in our relation with Weller, he’s a part of us, it has to be said. You all know that, the parka army etc. So when I go to a Weller’s gig with my UK Bro Simon, with Niels, with my 21 years old son Anton (he was born the first solo LP years, mates…), got butterflies in the stomach, I’m afraid to be late due to Brussels heavy traffic (was only 15 minutes late, Simon, come on… Don’t say it to everyone or I will have to say you forgot your ticket…), I’m afraid of cancellation, first Belgium earthquake ever, whatever… Everything has been cool. We were right on time and the celebration could start! We had a few beers with Fellow friend Niels and three Liverpool’s lads who knew the blog. Couldn’t be more proud!  Honest, it’s the European and continental Weller’s version, it’s not the big crowd and we were about 25 to wait for the Magic bus. I have to admit I had really bad and very naughty thoughts  about the Weller lookalike clones, it should be very very strange to walk in the same shoes, to go to the hairdresser and ask the same cut, etc and…it’s probably very strange too to be in the bus, to be the original Weller and to watch those copies. It was a bit freaky in a way, like this Alien Movie with Sigourney weaver when she is in the test room, looking at the first attempt to recreate … Ripley. Bad boy… I don’t put the blame on them at all and Weller is, in a way, in my DNA, yes, he changed my life, when I was 14, going to a public library, listening Sound Affect. Became a mod in 35'35" minutes…for life. And he gave me so much music. Mark Baxter said it, thank him for so many records to listen, so many propositions, from the Beatles to John Coltrane for me, from Curtis Mayfield to Krautrock. Wasn’t very fan of the late Style Council and the plastic soul era (send me insults, love you anyway) but he’s always on the verge to smash me with a new song and his average songwriting level is incredibly high! He’s a real mod, completely open, not a narrow minded nationalist, he knows it’s a bit short to have a Fred Perry shirt and a Scoot. Modness is a commitment to openness, don’t you think? 

A fan, me? Yes, he’s in my DNA now and my son was here, it’s definitely in the family now but what about the gig? In 2008, it’s been a pretty bad one. He was angry, he wanted to bite someone, he did try to do something but nothing worked…No soul, no fire… Something was wrong and he even wrote “Shithole” on the setlist instead of Brussels…It’s been a short gig and the day after, he gave one of the best I’ve ever seen in Amsterdam’s Paradiso but not this one. Niels and Simon went back home under a heavy cold rain… Bad mood, bad gig… Goodbye Brussels…

Simon? Who is the guy behind the camera?

So, Last week, the internationalists had a rendez-vous near of the Ancienne Belgique. We met 3 Liverpools lads who came in Europe to watch the man in a small venue… Simon the Brummie Bluenose, Niels from Denmark, my son Anton and a few steps away, the small army of the Weller lookalikes who work very hard to look like him… I have to admit, shoot me, that I had a very strange feeling about it, It was like in a last episode of Alien movie series, when Sigourney Weaver looks her clone in the attempt room…No mockery, just kidding, I’m a Mod and I am a twins father, massively influence by the man! The only difference between Weller and me? ONE word… Talent. ;)

I really wonder how you can feel when you’re an “under the skin” fan, same hair dresser, same hair cut, same glasses but… a bit too small, a bit too something anyway. I also wonder what you can feel when you’re the real Weller, in the bus, watching the pavement and to have a strange mirror like this one.

We had much fun with our fellow English companions and they wanted to offer us a beer because they knew the blog, honest, and Anton and I had a beer in our hands and two full glasses waiting for us. Cheers, Boys!

Stay Cool Andy, Niels is just behind us...

At last, the black bus came and it’s been very magical and very cool, Steve and Steve, Andy and  Andy , very relax and Paul Weller pretty cool with everyone even if they were very late for the sound check according to Mr. Lewis, nice as pie (It’s nice to be important but it’s important to be nice…) Weller is cool, SOME people has been lucky enough to have good photos with the modfather.  Sonic Pics. It’s the continental Weller, and there was no massive crowd, Mark the bodyguard was cool, he had time to sign and chat and to shake our hands…Very strange feeling, they’re so familiar to us we almost could ask news about the family! Do not play that game with Weller. I have to admit I miss the real opportunity to have an interview for the blog for everyone… Too bad. Could have been very very easy for Andies and Stevies…

8.10 PM. The band is on stage, Weller is absolutely classy, Mod, Elegant, in the best Saville row tradition. We all know immediately than the gig will be good, Weller is happy with the sound, with the backline, with the level of his voice, with his guitar, he was just happy and not grumpy at all. Sonik Kicks is much better on stage, much electronic loops, yes, but the density is better, the stage and the sound of the LP live is very impressive. Even the cigarette is an electronic one and Weller could smoke on stage! So, it’s a good moment, a strange experience too to know exactly what he’s gonna play…It’s pretty brave to play a NEW album in full. Weller still moves on, he doesn’t want to become his own tribute band, playing the old stuff again and again and we love him for that. He could pick in his back catalogue but… no way. From In the city to Sonik Kicks, it’s a long walk to move forward. You, audience, you’re gonna hear my last album, the hot one, not my cold ashes and if you don’t like it, no way to do something else… Mrs Weller, HannaH, the sweet Weller’s palindrome came on stage and sung very well the jazzy dub song. She smiled to Paul, who didn’t have a look at her, we play, nothing else, it’s all about music.

The acoustic set reached the roof, really, completely brilliant, Weller has been intelligent, once again, and he picked up the most interesting songs from the vocal point of view to play with all the singers he can use… it means any member of the band but Ben, on the second drum kit…Vocal harmonies were beautiful and it’s not Déjà Vu by Crosby Stills Nash and Young but it’s pure, aerial, immaterial, subtle, and it’s not numb or flat… The songs walk over you, it’s always a dynamic flux, not the flat acoustic moment, it’s the time of the proper language of the acoustic way to do music. Closer of John Martyn than another useless MTV Unplugged record. We have so many useless self repeating pattern in the songs we have to stand on the radio…And then came the Sonik storm, we went in the eye of the hurricane...

Weller, sober, is very sharp and tight again when he plays the guitar and I think he took more solos than usually, he was looking for a deep sound, for the electric vibration, the sustain is back and there’s no more too short notes (and no more barking on the voice), he was really trying to reach everyone, even that 15 years old kid with a brilliant “All mod cons” shirt on the first row… The great Weller is here, when he has that very personal way to move, slowly moving on a feet and on another one,  blinking et looking at the audience in a challenging attitude, like he was saying « Is it good enough ?”  Oh yes, it was and The AB became a spaceship, straight to the clouds, up there with the best british performers and it’s been one of the most moving Weller’s gig i’ve been ever… A white butterfly  flew staright to me, a plectrum, Fender « Heavy »,was happy to catch it, Sonic Pick…

Several encores and no old stuff, no Wildsood, no You do something to me, no Malice but Broken Stones…  

No Crack on the pavement this time, no sad and cold rain, the sky wasn’t crying… The crowd went out to celebrate that gig and she was conquered, by the Weller stage army and by the music too… Outside, I met Eon Ballinger, he lives in France now and he played on the last Creation (yes the genuine mod band) when they had a reunion (Power Surge LP). We had a friendly accolade. The street was red with purple flashes…Couldn’t be more perfect…Sonik geeks...