Tom Dunne: How Paul Weller's ever changing moods coloured his genius output

I still feel pain at the demise of The Jam, but their main man has continued to impress ever since, and his upcoming gigs in Cork and Dublin offer a glimpse of his incredible back catalogue

Paul Weller plays in Cork and Dublin over the weekend. Picture: Henry Nicholls/ AFP via Getty Images

Fri, 26 Jun, 2026 - 16:38

Tom Dunne

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.

I am reading reviews of Paul Weller’s recent Liverpool show. He admitted to being completely overcome by the sheer emotional intensity of the welcome. This means he has reached that point in his career — just like Paul McCartney before him — where simply seeing him walk on stage is too much for most people.

I might be among those people. He has been entertaining us now for almost 50 years. For over half that time, he has been known simply as The Modfather, a tip of the hat to his incalculable influence on Britpop. Between that, The Jam, The Style Council and the solo renaissance, it’s all too much.