Never-before-seen photographs taken by Paul Weller’s bandmate have revealed the intricacies of life on the road with the British singer-songwriter.
The candid images were captured over ten years by musician and photographer Andy Crofts, who began performing with The Jam vocalist Weller, 62, in 2008 after meeting him two years earlier when he opened for the musician in The On Offs.
After joining Weller’s band as a keyboard player, and later a bass guitarist, Crofts ‘slowly and unintentionally’ gathered a collection of photographs over a decade of fast-paced travel that he now believes ‘need to be seen’.
Crofts, who also produced a documentary about Weller titled ‘One’, captured undated scenes of the singer-songwriter in the studio, in dressing rooms and exploring the cities the pair travelled to on tour between 2008 and now.
The musician, from Northampton, has compiled more than 200 of these images in a book, available from This Day in Music Books for £39.99.
Speaking of the snapshots, he said: ‘My photographs are never planned. They are always instant and usually come from us passing somewhere that catches my eye. I think Paul trusts me enough with my camera now to understand how I may see things, and these opportunities usually appear out of nowhere.’
The Jam vocalist Paul Weller is pictured smoking backstage in one of a series of 200 candid images taken by his bandmate Andy Crofts over a decade on the road
The candid images were captured over ten years by musician and photographer Crofts, who began performing with Weller, 62, in 2008 after meeting him two years earlier when he opened for the musician in The On Offs. Pictured: Weller prepares for a show in a dressing room
After joining Weller’s band as a keyboard player, and later a bass guitarist, Crofts ‘slowly and unintentionally’ gathered a collection of photographs from over a decade of fast-paced travel that he now believes ‘need to be seen’
Weller gained fame with The Jam, which formed in the 1970s at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking before disbanding in 1982. The musician then formed The Style Council in late 1982 before establishing himself as a solo artist in 1992 with a self-titled album
Weller was once described as ‘one of the most revered music writers and performers of the past 30 years’, and has released 15 studio albums to date. His latest, On Sunset, was scheduled for release on June 12, 2020, but got pushed back to July 3 due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Crofts, who also produced a documentary about Weller titled ‘One’, captured undated scenes of the singer-songwriter in the studio (left), in dressing rooms and exploring the cities the pair travelled to on tour (right) between 2008 and 2020
Speaking about the collection, Weller described Crofts as a ‘very talented man’y, praising the photographer for his ‘great artistic and visual eye.’ He added: ‘I really love his work for its spontaneity, composition, lighting and his imagination’
Crofts, from Northampton, has compiled these images in a book, available from This Day in Music Books for £39.99
Weller is pictured playing drums in the studio in one image from the candid collection, which contains more than 200 images from between 2008 and this year
Weller married Dee C Lee, The Style Council’s backing singer, in 1987 before divorcing in 1998. The couple have two children, Leah and Nathaniel, who is also a working musician. Weller has another daughter, Dylan, with make-up artist, Lucy Halperin
The musician also has two children, Jesamine and Stevie Mac, with Samantha Stock. In 2010, he married Hannah Andrews, a backing singer on his 22 Dreams album. The pair welcomed twin boys John Paul and Bowie in 2012 and daughter Nova in 2017
Speaking of the snapshots, Crofts said: ‘My photographs are never planned. They are always instant and usually come from us passing somewhere that catches my eye. I think Paul trusts me enough with my camera now to understand how I may see things, and these opportunities usually appear out of nowhere’
The photographer, who captured the snapshots between 2008 and now, does not remember the exact date or location of any of the images in the collection due to the spontaneous nature of his photography
Weller is seen lighting a cigarette in his dressing room, with a set list for that evening’s show seen in the foreground of the image
The musician is pictured with photographer Crofts, who has appeared on Weller’s studio albums since his 2010 release Wake Up the Nation