The first concert Paul Weller attended
Having a local band that takes on the mainstream can be transformative for an entire town, filling a whole generation with the confidence to follow in their footsteps. While seeing somebody from the same area achieve greatness will cause many to turn green with envy, Paul Weller felt inspired by the success of Status Quo.
Weller and Status Quo’s late singer, Rick Parfitt, came from Woking. The Surrey town is just 23 miles from the capital, but it felt like a different world to his existence in Woking. His hometown wasn’t a thriving hub for creative individuals and seemed impossible to escape.
Despite having a population of over 100,000, according to the latest census, the string of artists produced in Woking are slim pickings. Aside from members of The Jam and Parfitt, its links to the music industry are minimal. Admittedly, it is responsible for the late comedy icon Sean Lock and writer Iain Morris, who created the hit sitcom The Inbetweeners.
Parfitt, who died in 2016, was a figure that Weller could relate to and attempt to emulate. Their fathers were drinking colleagues, and Parfitt was a relatable figure for the future Jam frontman, who saw first-hand that it was possible to carve out a career as a successful musician.
Just weeks before his 14th birthday in 1972, Weller was in attendance when Status Quo took to the stage at The Civic in Guildford, and memories of the evening remain ingrained into his psyche. At the time, Status Quo had released four albums but had yet to reach household name status. However, in Weller’s mind, they were already superstars.
During an interview with Paul Du Noyer in 2005, Weller recalled: “The first band I ever saw, again at the Guildford Civic, was Status Quo and again I thought they were amazing. We were sat up in the furthest back row but I’d never heard music that loud before. To hear that and be pinned to the wall it was just, Yes! Like my daughter seeing The Kings Of Leon the other night and saying ‘That’s what I want to do in life.’ That was me, man.”
He continued: “Talk about signals, right. This year Little Richard come over, Chuck Berry come over and Bo Diddley. I thought that was a sign that rock’n’roll is back. I took that as a personal signal and that’s why the new single, ‘From The Floorboards Up’, is rockin’.”
In 2016, Parfitt tragically died after battling health problems for many years, and Weller was devastated to hear the news of his passing, revealing how Parfitt’s family played an integral role in the early days of The Jam.
He told Q: “I was upset when he died. Quo were the first band I saw live in 1972. He was a local lad from Woking, My old man was mates with Ricky’s dad and he used to help us out, give us bits of equipment and that. He was a lovely fella.”
While The Jam had their stylistic differences from Status Quo, seeing them perform sparked an intense feeling inside Weller to achieve his dreams. Only six years later, The Jam released their debut album, In The City, which may not have happened if it hadn’t been for that night at The Civic.
