“I don’t really celebrate birthdays, but my daughter shares mine, so it’s very much about her,” he gestures breezily, explaining that if anything, he’s enjoying songwriting more than ever, and is in a rich vein of creativity.
The ‘Modfather’ belongs in that most rare of categories in being an artist who has successfully reinvented himself over the course of more than 40 years. He’s managed to walk the line between classic rock, punk and new wave, through to 60s soul that inspired the Style Council, and later balladry that has equally attracted critical acclaim and resonated with long-term fans.
His last recording two years ago, True Meanings, narrowly missed becoming Weller’s fifth number one solo album, but having consciously built it around the lilting lullaby of Gravity, he says that it placed him in a strong position considering his latest recordings.
While the unwelcome arrival of the coronavirus pandemic may have scratched out his latest round of UK gigs, he has instead been squirrelling himself away in his beloved Surrey studio, Black Barn, to lay down new material.
This story is from the July 2020 edition of Surrey Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2020 edition of Surrey Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The House That Rocks
Transforming an impressive, seven-bedroom Victorian property in Dorking wasn’t without its challenges, but the result is a stunning family home that has had the interiors world raving
REMEDY FOR SUCCESS
Surrey’s Tracy Borman discusses the return of her heroine healer in the final book of her best-selling fictional trilogy
Love Celia
Actress Celia Imrie has travelled the world for work and leisure but wherever she goes there is a part of her which is forever Surrey
EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH
Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village in Compton focuses on the Victorian roots of art activism
Electric dreams
The Range Rover plug-in hybrid brings silent electric motoring to this iconic luxury car
THE OPEN ROAD
Chris Pickering rounds up some of the best drives in Surrey
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield
With the North Downs looming nearby and glorious countryside surrounding it, Oxted is a town with real “escape from London” appeal and character, while nearby Limpsfield has a superb village vibe with its own community-run pub
Artist to the stars
Known as ‘The Face of Modern British Impressionism’, Mickleham-based Sherree Valentine Daines is celebrating four decades at the forefront of her field
A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME
The Signet Collection’s inaugural hotel project is a reimagining of a former royal guest house, situated directly opposite Hampton Court Palace
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe
On the banks of the River Wey, Godalming is a watercolour pretty town surrounded by pristine countryside and in-demand rural villages, such as Hascombe