Richard Hawley – Singer-songwriter, Guitarist, and Producer

In this episode, acclaimed Sheffield singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Richard Hawley talks about his long-standing friendship and creative kinship with Paul Weller.

Richard takes us back to his working-class upbringing in Pitsmoor, Sheffield, where he was raised on a strict diet of ’50s rock and roll, rockabilly, and R&B – until his two younger sisters took over the household’s three-watt portable record player. It was through their relentless, non-stop playing of Setting Sons, All Mod Cons, and Sound Affects that The Jam became permanently ingrained in his psyche, sparking a lifelong appreciation for Paul Weller’s distinctive guitar playing and raw, uncompromising energy.

He shares the hilarious story of their first proper meeting at a festival in Spain, where he mistakenly geared up for a classic “Mods vs. Rockers” confrontation as Weller and Steve Cradock came charging across a hotel dining room. Richard reflects on their subsequent decades-long friendship, discussing the parallel experiences of losing their fathers, their shared refusal to compromise with the music industry, and their mutual respect as songwriters. He also offers a peek into his phone’s highly classified archive of raw Weller voice-note demos, explains why they’ve never quite managed to finish a song together in the same room, and recounts playing lap steel on the beautiful track ‘I Woke Up’ from Paul’s album 66.

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The Sisterly Indoctrination: Being forced to listen to The Jam on repeat as a kid in Sheffield, and how it eventually cracked through his rockabilly exterior to shape his musical DNA.

The Clash of the Subcultures: A laugh-out-loud memory of spotting Weller and Steve Cradock charging toward him at Benicassim festival, and his boxer-trained instinct preparing for a full-scale physical brawl.

The “Real Knows Real” Philosophy: The deep-seated, white working-class kinship between northern musicians who grew up in the shadow of industrial cities and refuse to play the industry’s compromise game.

Remixing Weller: The creative process behind Richard’s distinct remixes – turning ‘Andromeda’ (Wake Up the Nation) into a heavy guitar-driven track and adding analogue synth to ‘Soul Searchers’ (True Meanings).

The Toilet Song Sessions: A late-night post-show encounter at the Royal Albert Hall, hiding in the bogs to escape alarms and autograph hunters just to play acoustic songs and have a cigarette.

The “No-Side” Friend: Admiring the blunt, unapologetic, and brutally honest way Weller treats fools in the music industry, contrasted with his deep, quiet sensitivity and kindness as a true friend.

Lap Steel on 66: The story of recording ‘I Woke Up’ after hearing a raw, unfinished demo and realising it was quintessential, dark-tinged Weller experiencing a profound metamorphosis.

Dancing Through the Fire

Richard Hawley is one of over 250 contributors to my Sunday Times Bestselling book, Paul Weller: Dancing Through the Fire, which is available now.
Click on the image below to grab your copy…