Latest news with #TheStyleCouncil
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The Modfather is my little toad of a brother'
Behind the success of celebrities, there often lies a fascinating story about their journey to fame. Nicky Weller, the sister of Paul Weller - who founded two of Britain's most successful bands, The Jam and The Style Council - has spoken to Secret Surrey about some of her fondest memories of her brother during their formative years in Woking. She described her brother as an "amazing person" because he "truly embraced the Mod attitude of always looked forward and never looking back". "On one hand he is my brother but on the other hand, you say 'oh there's that miserable little toad on stage!'" she joked. Not only does Ms Weller have two garages and a spare room full of her brother's pop memorabilia, but she said she came up with the name of The Jam. The band was formed in 1972 and was inspired by the Mod music movement. Due to this, Paul is known as the "Modfather" as he was instrumental in the Mod revival movement in the '70s and '80s. Ms Weller said her brother had shown a keen interest in music from an early age. "We lived in a council house in Stanley Road, Woking, and we had a happy childhood," she told Radio Surrey. "My mum was always singing around the house to the latest songs and I think that's where it all stemmed from. "He was fanatical about the Beatles. He kept all his albums in his drawers rather than his clothes!" Ms Weller, who managed the fan clubs of The Jam and The Style Council, said there were signs which foretold her brother's future success. She said Paul enjoyed shopping at Petticoat Lane to get the "particular clothes he wanted". "He was a sharp dresser. He had an attitude and a look about him," Ms Weller said. "His friends in Woking said the same thing and they latched onto him." Ms Weller has curated major exhibitions which focused on The Jam and The Style Council, including "About the Young Idea" at Somerset House and "This Is The Modern World" in Brighton, which reflected on his success. She and her parents have kept old photos and items which belonged to Paul during his school years. Ms Weller said Paul already had visions of what his band would look like while he was at school. "He was a good cartoonist. He drew a picture of his band and the band members were coloured with matching suits like The Beatles." Ms Weller said one of her favourite items of memorabilia was a five-page cartoon he drew called Paul The Mod. "It's about him going out on his scooter to meet his friends. They went to Brighton and had fights and the police arrested them," she said. "In every page of his book there's a practice signature, it was like he knew he was going to be famous." The Jam eventually split in the early '80s at the height of their popularity. Paul formed The Style Council, which was more laid back and soulful, but the band broke up in 1989. He then enjoyed a successful solo career, with hits such as Sunflower and Wild Wood. Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Home town's tribute to The Jam
BBC News
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Secret Surrey: Paul Weller's sister shares fondest memories
Behind the success of celebrities, there often lies a fascinating story about their journey to fame. Nicky Weller, the sister of Paul Weller - who founded two of Britain's most successful bands, The Jam and The Style Council - has spoken to Secret Surrey about some of her fondest memories of her brother during their formative years in described her brother as an "amazing person" because he "truly embraced the Mod attitude of always looked forward and never looking back"."On one hand he is my brother but on the other hand, you say 'oh there's that miserable little toad on stage!'" she joked. Not only does Ms Weller have two garages and a spare room full of her brother's pop memorabilia, but she said she came up with the name of The Jam. The band was formed in 1972 and was inspired by the Mod music movement. Due to this, Paul is known as the "Modfather" as he was instrumental in the Mod revival movement in the '70s and ' Weller said her brother had shown a keen interest in music from an early age."We lived in a council house in Stanley Road, Woking, and we had a happy childhood," she told Radio Surrey. "My mum was always singing around the house to the latest songs and I think that's where it all stemmed from."He was fanatical about the Beatles. He kept all his albums in his drawers rather than his clothes!"Ms Weller, who managed the fan clubs of The Jam and The Style Council, said there were signs which foretold her brother's future said Paul enjoyed shopping at Petticoat Lane to get the "particular clothes he wanted". "He was a sharp dresser. He had an attitude and a look about him," Ms Weller said."His friends in Woking said the same thing and they latched onto him." Ms Weller has curated major exhibitions which focused on The Jam and The Style Council, including "About the Young Idea" at Somerset House and "This Is The Modern World" in Brighton, which reflected on his and her parents have kept old photos and items which belonged to Paul during his school Weller said Paul already had visions of what his band would look like while he was at school. "He was a good cartoonist. He drew a picture of his band and the band members were coloured with matching suits like The Beatles." 'Paul knew he would be famous' Ms Weller said one of her favourite items of memorabilia was a five-page cartoon he drew called Paul The Mod. "It's about him going out on his scooter to meet his friends. They went to Brighton and had fights and the police arrested them," she said."In every page of his book there's a practice signature, it was like he knew he was going to be famous."The Jam eventually split in the early '80s at the height of their formed The Style Council, which was more laid back and soulful, but the band broke up in then enjoyed a successful solo career, with hits such as Sunflower and Wild Wood.
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Secret behind Freddie Mercury's Live Aid performance and Gary Kemp's big regret
On July 13 1985 Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially opened Live Aid - Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's organisational triumph, that saw some of the world's greatest musicians perform at Wembley and Philadelphia's JFK Stadium. Broadcast to 1.9 billion people globally, performers like The Style Council's Dee C. Lee recall the thrilling, but nerve-wracking concert, that raised more than £114m for Ethiopian famine relief. Fans assumed she was wearing shades because of the sun. In fact, she was so nervous that she threw up just before the band, led by her future husband Paul Weller, went on stage. 'Travelling to Wembley felt pretty much like travelling to perform at any festival, but once we got there, it all got very real very quick.' says Dee, 64. 'Before we went on, the nerves had properly kicked in, to the point I had thrown up just before walking out onto the stage. This explains why I had to perform in dark glasses, as my eye makeup had run. Not my normal practice!' Speaking on BBC Sounds' Live Aid: Fans' Story, released today, Dee is celebrating that magic day's 40th anniversary. She also sang on the Band Aid single, Do They Know It's Christmas? which raised around £8 million for the famine and was the precursor to the concert. Dee - who went on to have two children, Nathanial and Leah, with Paul before their 1998 split - continues: 'Looking back, I'd felt I'd been part of something amazing, but I didn't realise how historic the day would become. I'm still very proud to have played a small part in it.' The Style Council performed second on the bill after Status Quo, who had the perfect opener with Rockin' All Over The World, following a brief performance by the Coldstream Guard. The Quo's Francis Rossi, 76, says: 'Nobody wanted to go on first. There were lots of egos. I remember asking our manager if anybody had decided yet. 'I said we would gladly go on first, because everybody was arguing. We thought we'd be out of there in 15 minutes and home and didn't think the whole thing would be anywhere near as important as it became.' Spandau Ballet's Gary Kemp didn't anticipate the magnitude of the day either. Had he done so, he says he wouldn't have chosen that moment to perform new track Virgin to the audience of 72,000 at Wembley and 89,000 at JFK Stadium watching via satellite, not to mention the billion plus viewers at home. 'I am slightly irritated by the fact that we chose that moment to do a new song,' admits Gary, 65. 'I can't believe that we did a new song out of the three we chose. We didn't do Gold, which frustrates me. We did True and Only When You Leave. We didn't fully get that people would be talking about it 40 years later." The Who had not played together for years when they did Live Aid. 'I was quite excited to watch them,' says Gary, revealing how guitarist Pete Townshend allowed him to watch them perform from the side of the stage. 'At the end of the concert, Sting was handing out the hymn sheets of Do They Know It's Christmas and was very much the head boy of the situation. 'We all kind of did a sort of rehearsal backstage that sort of fell apart and then, of course, everyone ran on stage and tried to do their best. Some people were much better at getting to the front than others.' Nik Kershaw, 67, was approached by Sir Bob about Live Aid in January 1985, when the Boomtown Rats singer spotted him at Heathrow Airport waiting for a flight. 'There was a whole bunch of us going off to a German TV show, and Bob was lurking in the terminal. I never figured out exactly why he was there,' he says. Recalling the atmosphere at Live Aid being 'fraught and tense' until he finished his set, he continues: 'There was a whole load of us hanging out in the royal box. I remember Tony Hadley standing up in the front and saying, 'Does anyone want a beer?' And everybody, I mean, everybody, put their hand up, and he just slumped off and appeared about half an hour later with trays and trays and trays of beers. Good man, Tony. 'When Queen came on, it was an utterly joyous celebration of music. But there were other moments. I remember a particularly poignant moment when David Bowie came off stage a song early, so they could play the original 1984 Michael Burke news report in Ethiopia that started the whole thing off, and the whole place went quiet as everybody remembered what they were there for.' When the show was over and they were all packing up to go home, Nik heard someone singing to himself ' Do They Know It's Christmas time' 'It was Mr. Bowie and I was completely and utterly star-struck,' he says. Billy Ocean performed across the pond at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium. 'I was pleased they asked me to do it,' he says, 'I would have liked to have been one of the black artists in London. I would have been very offended if they hadn't asked me. 'I've always given Bob my respect ( for putting together Live Aid). I thank him for doing something like that for Africans." Meanwhile, Queen's set, including Bohemian Rhapsody, Hammer To Fall, Radio Ga Ga, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions is widely regarded as the most famous single performance in popular music history . But it almost never happened. Sir Bob reveals how Freddie Mercury called him, unsure about taking part. Doing an impersonation of Freddie, Sir Bob 73, remembers the call, saying: 'The phone rang and he goes 'Is that you Bobsy? 'I said, 'Yes, and he said, 'So what's all this? It's wonderful what you're doing, but that's not really our thing, you know?' 'I said 'I get it, Fred, honestly, man. But if there was one stage in the world ever built for you, this is it.' And he said, 'Well, what do you mean?' And I said, 'Well, hello, darling! the world.' 'There was a pause, and then Freddie said, 'Yes, I think I know where you're coming from.' And then the next minute, Freddie went on and blasted the world. ' Legendary DJ Paul Gambaccini was backstage, recalling: 'Someone came up to me and said 'they are stealing the show!' You could feel the frisson.' Meanwhile, Sir Bob adds: 'Freddie and Queen will always be remembered for Live Aid. It's not me bigging myself up, but they came from a space of exhaustion with each other, with their music and unsure where to go next. I think they thought, 'if we're gonna go we're gonna go out on a high - by telling people what we did.' These guys just wrapped it up in their blazing 15- 20 minutes.' Freddie, who died from an AIDS related illness in 1991, called it 'a turning point in the history of Queen.' Supported by drummer Roger Taylor, lead guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon, one of the world's greatest showmen ensured that we are still celebrating Live Aid 40 years later.
Perth Now
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
'I was touring Japan and they said do you want to join our band?' The Blow Monkeys singer Dr. Robert reveals Oasis stole his drummer
The Blow Monkeys singer Dr. Robert lost drummer Alan White to Oasis. The It Doesn't Have to Be This Way singer was touring as a solo artist in the 1990s and Alan was part of his live band. After Oasis' original drummer Tony McCarroll was fired from the band in April 1995 by Noel Gallagher, the guitarist's friend Paul Weller told him that Alan would be a great fit for the Supersonic rockers. Paul's own drummer Steve White is the brother of Alan and he had heard about his drumming talent from Steve and from Dr. Robert, who previously played in Weller's band The Style Council and is a close friend of "The Modfather". Dr. Robert remembers being on the road in Japan in April 1995 when Alan got a call from Oasis asking him to join straight away so he could appear with them on TV show Top of the Pops when they performed their first number one single Some Might Say. In an interview with Contact Music, Dr. Robert said: "I was touring in Japan at the time when they rang up Alan White, he was drumming with me, and they said, 'Do you want to join our band? We're number one and we're doing Top of the Pops next week.' 'I said, 'Alan, you better go.' 'He's Steve White's brother. Steve used to play for Paul Weller and The Style Council and Alan was drumming for me, so there was a connection. 'Alan's a brilliant drummer, he played on the first solo album I did and he was magnificent. 'I played a lot with his brother Steve, who was phenomenal. He's, like, the greatest British jazz drummer there's ever been, he's so good. 'Alan's different, he's really good at playing on songs, he was perfect for Oasis. You can really hear it on Wonderwall, his drumming on that." Alan was in Oasis from 1995 until 2004 and played on four albums - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Be Here Now, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and Heathen Chemistry - before departing and being replaced by Zak Starkey - the son of Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr. Dr. Robert thought that Alan, 53, or Zak, 59, would get the call to re-join Noel and Liam for the Oasis Live '25 Tour rather the brothers choosing new drummer Joey Waronker for the reunion tour. He said: "I thought Zak Starkey would get the gig. "Although I did like the original drummer Tony McCarroll. He had a lazy style, and he was dreamy, sort of behind the beat, I loved all that." The Blow Monkeys will release their 13th studio album Birdsong on 15 August 2025, followed by a 10-date UK tour in October with The Christians. The band bring out new single The Penny Drops - the first track to be released from the upcoming LP - on 17 June. Tickets are on sale now from the official Blow Monkeys website. The Blow Monkeys full list of tour dates is as follows: Oct 11th - Gateshead, The Glasshouse Oct 13th - Glasgow, Clyde Theatre Oct 14th - Edinburgh, Queen's Hall Oct 16th - Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall Oct 18th - Manchester, RNCM Theatre Oct 19th - Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall Oct 21st - Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion Oct 22nd - Watford, Colosseum Oct 23rd - London, Shepherds Bush Empire Oct 24th - Fareham, Live Theatre
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rick Buckler Dies: The Jam's Drummer Was 69
Rick Buckler, founding drummer for popular and influential British rock trio The Jam, died February 17 after a short illness, his management company said in a statement. He was 69. 'Rick Buckler, best known as the legendary drummer of The Jam, passed away peacefully on Monday evening in Woking, after a short illness with family by his side,' the statement reads. 'Rick was a loving husband, father and grandfather and was a devoted friend to many, who will be greatly missed.' More from Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries Marianne Faithfull Dies: Singer, Actor And Rolling Stones Muse Was 78 Kim Sae-ron Cause Of Death Revealed Buckler joined up with frontman singer-guitarist Paul Weller and bassist Bruce Foxton to form The Jam in 1972 and remained with the group until its 1982 breakup. Recording from 1977-82, it was among the era's most popular band in the UK, where The Jam racked up 18 consecutive Top 40 singles, nine Top 10s and four No. 1s: 1980's 'Going Underground' and 'Start,' followed by 'Town Called Malice' — which debuted atop the chart — and 'Beat Surrender' in 1982. Schooled in soul and R&B music, the group embraced and was embraced by the punk scene and later the new wave craze and Mod revival. It scored 11 Top 10 LPs in the UK, hitting No. 1 with The Gift in 1982 and No. 2 the year before with Sound Affects, later also reaching No. 2 with a live album and two compilation discs. Among its other memorable tracks were 'Absolute Beginners,' 'Just Who Is the 5 O'clock Hero?' and 'Funeral Pyre.' The band enjoyed only moderate success Stateside, with Sound Affects and The Gift cracking the top half of the Billboard 200 chart. 'Town Called Malice,' with its rollicking Motownesque rhythm and Kinks-like tale of working-class ennui, was its only U.S. singles chart success peaking at No. 31. Sample lyric: 'To either cut down on beer or the kids' new gear/it's a big decision in a town called malice.' Watch the video here: The Jam would break up in 1982 — at the height of its popularity — when Weller split, to the dismay of Buckler and Foxton, who wanted to continue and wouldn't speak with their singer again. Weller joined with Mick Talbot to form The Style Council, whose first three albums from 1984-87 reached No. 1 or No. 2 in the UK. Born on December 6, 1955, in Woking, Surrey, Buckley went on to played in bands through the 1980s before taking a break from the music business. He and Foxton reunited in the mid-2000s in From the Jam, which lasted about four years. Buckley later worked in a few other groups and published his memoir That's Entertainment: My Life in the Jam in 2015. DEADLINE RELATED VIDEO: He is survived by his wife, Lesley, and their children Jason and Holly. Weller remembered his bandmate on social media, and also posted a reaction from Foxton: I'm glad we had the chance to work together as much as we thoughts are with Leslie and his family at this very difficult time – Bruce Foxton(4/4) — Paul Weller (@paulwellerHQ) February 18, 2025 I'm shocked and saddened by Rick's passing. I'm thinking back to us all rehearsing in my bedroom in Stanley Road, Woking. To all the pubs and clubs we played at as kids, to eventually making a record. What a journey! (1/4 – P.W) — Paul Weller (@paulwellerHQ) February 18, 2025 Best of Deadline 2025 Deaths Photo Gallery: Hollywood & Media Obituaries 2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Tonys, Guilds & More How To Watch Sunday's 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' Online & On TV
