All the children had to leave; they missed school for the day; the teacher still got paid.

I’ve had a bit of a delayed reaction on this one…

Saw Paul Weller a couple of weeks ago (I’m sure you already read it…), and thoroughly enjoyed myself, but keen readers of this Blog may have raised an eyebrow at there being no mention of the support band.

One of my little quirks is that I often gain a lop-sided amount of time and pleasure staring at concert tickets pinned to my notice board. The pleasure is largely in the anticipation for me, so much so that the headliners themselves are unable to live up to the Jenga-style skyscrapers of hype that gather in my mind. Not so with support acts, and very often it turns out that I come away from an evening disproportionately excited about the second string and slightly disappointed about the main act.

This was thankfully not the case with Weller – he was excellent – so much so that I pretty much forgot about the lively three-piece that opened the set. In fact to be honest, in the context of Paul Weller gig it was impossible not to look at them with a wry and slightly patronising smile.

Twisted Wheel

Twisted Wheel are clearly three massive Jam fans (three-piece led by an angry and energetic guitarist/vocalist) who have landed the support slot of a lifetime. They come from Oldham and have been around for a little more than a year. Apart from the Weller gigs (they’re supporting him all year), they’ve also played Glastonbury, so they’ve obviously caught a few eyes and ears. They also have a debut album out which you can stream and buy here.

Anyways, for some of the reasons above, I didn’t really get too animated about them at the time. But now the initial wave generated by the gig has subsided in my mind somewhat, and I’ve taken the time to look at some of the video I took of them, I find myself rather liking what they do. I like all that strident guitar stuff and I can’t help thinking if I’d not seen them on the same stage as Weller, the whole comparison wouldn’t have seemed quite so unflattering.

To be honest, I’m still not that sure but here are three tracks I’ve foraged from the internet. See what you think.

She’s a Weapon

Bouncing Bomb

That’s Entertainment (I know...)

I’ve also got this footage of She’s a Weapon that I took at the gig.



Apologies for the distortions you can hear – I’m guessing I was too close to one of the speakers…