Some Canvey Talking

The first gig I ever saw was Dr Feelgood. The first song I ever played in a band was 'In The City' by The Jam. So it was uncommonly sweet to stand in Custom house Square in Belfast, watching Paul Weller in motion with the old Feelgoods guitarist, Wilko Johnston.

The song was 'From The Floorboards Up' and the stuttering beat was just about perfect for Paul's guest. Some of us would have preferred more volume coming out of his Fender but still it was recognition of the value of that mid Seventies Canvey Island sound.

Earlier in the day I had been in Wilko's company on Gordon Street. He wore the customary black suit and his face has deepened over the years into a mournful story. It was like watching an old silent film star. Maybe Harold Lloyd. He wasn't designed for grace but that's not why we admire him.

Over at Belsonic, Paul Weller paid his dues and then steered his performance into a soaring career resume. Those new songs with their clatter and bite were a good fit besides the many Jam tunes ('Malice', 'Pretty Green' and blimey, 'New Art School') and only an overlong stretch on the piano stool dampened the intensity.

After, we crossed the road to see Wilko headlining the Belfast City Blues bash. Onstage he is resplendent, turning his gauche limbs into a rare behavior. It's a lineage that goes back to Max Wall and the music hall muggers. It's also a reminder that rock and roll took its cues from the traveling tent shows in the US, where the entertainers would perform weird steps and gyrations for the sake of fun and fervor.

Wilko plays 'She Does It Right' and 'Back In The Night'. impeccable. He closes with that Chuck Berry song about Johnny B Goode and his attack on Hollywood. Norman Watt-Roy from The Blockheads is on bass and the thrill is sustained. Geezer.