Paul Weller

Over the course of a career that extends back five decades, the songs of Paul Weller are woven into the tapestry of British music.

His body of work stands comparison with formative heroes such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ray Davies - a canon that takes in a total of 28 studio albums. And while it's tempting to dwell on past achievements - the Brit Awards, the Ivor Novellos and the number one albums (eight in total), Weller's avowed credo leads him to view his creative past rather like a motorist might look in the rear-view mirror - foot on the pedal, in constant forward motion.

For Weller it was that modernist outlook that informed his music as far back as his earliest recordings with The Jam. The trio he formed with Bruce Foxton (bass) and Rick Buckler (drums) achieved instant success with their 1977 debut single In The City. The album with which it shared its title has come to be regarded alongside Never Mind The Bollocks and London Calling as one of the musical lodestones of the punk era.

After dissolving The Jam at the peak of their powers, Weller - still only 22 - swiftly re-emerged alongside keyboard player Mick Talbot in The Style Council. The duo's lineup would expand to take in drummer Steve White and vocalist Dee C. Lee, resulting in a string of hits that included Shout To The Top and My Ever Changing Moods - songs that Weller regularly plays to this day.

As a solo artist, Weller forged his own path with acclaimed albums including Wild Wood and Stanley Road, which helped shape a new era of British guitar music. His creative restlessness has continued into the 21st century with records like 22 Dreams, On Sunset, and his latest album 66 (2024) - a vibrant, life-affirming work that reaffirms his enduring influence and commitment to artistic progression.

For all of that, the thing that gets Paul Weller out of bed is the promise of what's next, be it another electrifying live show tracing a line through the ever-changing moods of his canon or another day in his Black Barn studio. Every new song is a chisel-strike into a stone which will eventually sculpt a self-portrait. A self-portrait that will only be finished when he has written his final piece of music. And between this moment and that one, there's everything to play for.