After a stunning opening night courtesy of Snow Patrol, Ludlow’s Live at The Castle concert series welcomed a headliner of pure quality and class in Paul Weller. The Modfather lit up the castle ruins with a heavyweight set that extended to well over two hours, and took in 31 songs from his illustrious career. Revisiting The Jam, the Style Council and his many years as a solo artist, Weller and his stellar band (that included longstanding guitarist Steve Craddock of Ocean Colour Scene) were on scintillating form.

Indie star Miles Kane had the honour of warming up the crowd for the main attraction, and his punchy rockers were the perfect appetiser for what was still to come. The hook-laden ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ and signature anthem ‘Come Closer’ were both very well received, and one thing that was really evident was the sound quality here at Ludlow Castle was truly superb. All too often, outdoor events are hampered by a poor quality mix, but the balance between Miles vocals and the bands instruments was spot on. ‘Coup de Grace’, ‘Never Taking Me Alive’ and ‘Sunlight in the Shadows’ continued to delight the audience, punctuated by Miles gritty delivery and high-octane riffing. He may have been around for a few years now, but you get the feeling that Miles Kane still has a bright future ahead of him.

“We have a long old set for you tonight, something for everyone, so strap yourselves in!”, declared Paul Weller at what was, unsurprisingly, his first ever show here in Ludlow. He certainly wasn’t joking either, delivering song after song at a rapid fire pace with barely anytime to say much in between to ensure he finished ahead of curfew. From the opening salvo of ‘Rip the Pages Up’ and ‘Precious’, to the six song encore that included a brilliant ‘The Changingman’ and joyous ‘Town Called Malice’, Weller was at his exhilarating best. Backed by an eight piece band that included two drummers and a three piece horn section, this allowed him to dip in and out of the back catalogue with ease. Around the half way point, Weller moved to keyboards for an emotional ‘Broken Stones’, that led into the Style Council part of the evening that included a riotous ‘Shout to the Top!’ and the sophisticated jazz-pop of ‘Have You Ever Had It Blue’ and ‘Long Hot Summer’. A luscious arrangement of ‘You Do Something to Me’ was simply sublime, elevating what had already been a wonderful performance even higher.

Although at times over the years Weller has distanced himself from The Jam, he was more than happy to include seven songs from the legendary trio. Amongst these, ‘Strange Town’ was the cue for the nights first mass sing-a-long, ‘That’s Entertainment’ and ‘English Rose’ were welcomed like long absent friends and an assured ‘The Eton Rifles’ was delivered with Weller’s customary snarl and menace. The acoustic folk of ‘Wild Wood’ remains one of his finest songs, and was followed by the more recent ‘Rockets’ that evidenced the Modfather is still looking forwards and not content to simply play the nostalgia card. This genuinely was a show that had something for everyone, no matter which era of Weller’s career was your personal favourite. All credit to those involved with Live at the Castle for booking such an icon to come and play live here in Ludlow, and giving everyone a night to to remember.

Set list:-

Rip the Pages Up
Precious
Move On Up
Come On/Let’s Go
The Weaver
Strange Town
Man in the Corner Shop
Up in Suze’s Room
That Pleasure
Hung Up
Village
Broken Stones
My Ever Changing Moods
Have You Ever Had It Blue
Shout to the Top!
Stanley Road
You Do Something to Me
Long Hot Summer
Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)
Out of the Sinking
More
That’s Entertainment
Shadow of the Sun
Peacock Suit

English Rose
All the Pictures on the Wall
The Changingman
The Eton Rifles
Wild Wood
Rockets
Town Called Malice