Being a dedicated follower of many different kinds of music and being lucky enough to see over 100 bands a year I feel that I am reasonably well placed to make an informed call on a live show. So when I say that I have probably seen what was almost the perfect gig I’m pretty happy to stand by that statement.

The set list struck the right balance of songs from all of the stages of his career, the arrangements of the older tunes fitting seamlessly with the tracks from Saturn’s Pattern. His voice has just got better and better and he seemed more relaxed and happy to let the other members of the band take to the front of the stage with Steve Craddock taking lead vocals on a great version of Man In A Corner Shop. The whole band has been together long enough to have jelled as a seamless unit and did not miss a beat all night. All of the elements were there to provide a master class on how to perform live and keep it fresh especially when you have nearly forty years worth of songs to call on.

When I have seen Weller in the past it has all been about the music with a minimal stage set up and basic light show; tonight I was surprised to see a full rig that delivered a comprehensive light show that added perfectly to the atmosphere. The sound in the venue was just right and a reminder that all of the crew not actually on the stage are a huge part of delivering such a great night.

So was it the perfect gig? Well it was certainly the perfect combination of sound, light, band, songs and most of all talent, but I am sure the man himself would shy away from the word perfect as it leaves you nowhere to go so I will stick to almost perfect and look forward to even greater things to come in the future. Weller seems to be a man who is exactly where he should be and next time he plays near you that’s exactly where you should be to.