Credit: Y Not Festival / Ami Ford

Paul Weller dedicates song to Sinéad O’Connor at Y Not Festival

Mon 31 July 2023 14:28, UK

During his headline performance at Y Not Festival in Derbyshire on July 30th, Paul Weller paid tribute to the late Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor.

Weller was the closing act of the four-day festival following sets over the weekend from Royal Blood, Kasabian, Bombay Bicycle Club, DMA’s, The Wombats, James, Circa Waves, Maisie Peters, Everything Everything, Sea Girls, The Pigeon Detectives, The Reytons, The Lathums, The Charlatans, Mystery Jets, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jamie Webster, KT Tunstall, CMAT, Yonaka, Billy Nomates and more.

Toward the end of his performance, which included classics such as The Style Council’s ‘Shout To The Top!’ and The Jam’s ‘Town Called Malice’, Weller stopped to say to the crowd before playing ‘Broken Stones’: “I’d like to dedicate this to my sister in song, Sinéad O’Connor.”

‘Broken Stones’ appeared on Weller’s 1995 album Stanley Road. On the track, he sings: “Like pebbles on a beach, Kicked around, displaced by feet, Oh, like broken stones, They’re all trying to get home.”

O’Connor, who died last aged 56, was found unresponsive at her home in London by the Metropolitan Police. In a statement, they said: “Police were called at 11.18am on Wednesday 26 July to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area. Officers attended. A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The late Irish musician previously informed her fans earlier this month of plans to release a new album. “Hi All, recently moved back to London after 23 years absence. Very happy to be home : ) Soon finishing my album. Release early next year : ),” she wrote on Twitter.

O’Connor added: “Hopefully Touring Australia and New Zealand toward end 2024. Europe, USA and other territories beginning early 2025 : ) #TheBitchIsBack”.

Listen to ‘Broken Stones’ below.