Tom Dunne: New album from Paul McCartney shows his class really is permanent

The Boys of Dungeon Lane has songs that brought a tear to my eye

Paul McCartney pictured recently in a photograph by his daughter Mary McCartney.

Wed, 27 May, 2026 - 21:30

Tom Dunne is a music-lover extraordinaire who, as well as presenting radio and TV shows, can also be seen in the wild as the lead singer with Something Happens.

A new Paul McCartney album: how can you not be nervous? It’s like one of your children slipping you their English essay. What if it’s rubbish? What will you say? I don’t think “Well done, little man” and offering ice cream will work here. He’ll know you don’t like it, won’t he?

He’s a canny one, Macca. I was at Glastonbury when he told the audience they weren’t fooling him. He said he noticed the number of phones held aloft in the air fall when he did a new song. “I do see it, you know,” he told us. After that, I was afraid to put mine down.