Stuart Deabill – In the Shadow of the Sun – Paul Weller & the Nineties

There is a beautiful, cosmic symmetry in bringing this podcast journey to a close. Back in December 2020, Stuart Deabill was my very first guest, and today, he returns to close the circle for our final episode. It feels incredibly fitting that we are bowing out by celebrating Stuart’s stunning new book, In the Shadow of the Sun: Paul Weller & the Nineties.

For me, this isn’t just a conversation about a book – it’s a deeply personal trip back in time. The 1990s was the decade I discovered Paul Weller. I was just 16 years old in 1992, watching Top of the Pops when he performed perform ‘Uh Huh Oh Yeh.’ The swagger, the leather jacket, the sta prest trousers, and those stunning sounds blew my teenage mind. It sparked a connection to the man and his music that has never wavered, and this book captures the exact gravity of that moment.

In the Shadow of the Sun is a breathtaking, 304-page love letter to the most defiant and triumphant decade of Weller’s career. It drags you right back to the start of the Nineties, when – incomprehensibly – the man who fronted The Jam and The Style Council was without a record deal, playing to half-empty student unions and fighting to find his voice. Through incredible art direction, rare tour posters, and the stunning, fly-on-the-wall photography of Lawrence Watson, Kim Tonelli, and Grant Fleming, the book visually maps Weller’s grueling but glorious ascent. From the sweat-dripping walls of Dingwalls and the Brighton Zap Club to the earth-shattering triumph of Glastonbury ’94 and the era-defining, multi-million-selling masterpiece Stanley Road, it documents the blood, sweat, and tears of a true British icon reclaiming his crown.

The book is packed with exclusive, candid memories from the inner circle who lived and breathed the era: Go! Discs founder Andy Macdonald, producer Brendan Lynch, keyboard wizard Mick Talbot, and legendary drummer Steve White. But just as importantly, the book honours the fans. It is filled with hilarious, poignant, and beautifully chaotic first-hand accounts of Vauxhall Cavaliers speeding across the UK, illegal raves, “jazz fags” in the boxes of the Royal Albert Hall, and even someone elbowing Noel Gallagher out of the way just to hug Weller in the Manchester rain. It perfectly encapsulates a time when music, fashion, and football were the only things that mattered.

As we say goodbye to the podcast series, chatting with Stuart about this pivotal era reminds me why I started this show in the first place – to celebrate the music that shapes who we are. In the Shadow of the Sun does more than just document a decade; it bottles the spirit of an era when working-class culture felt like it belonged to us, and when Paul Weller stood at the very centre of that universe, looking and sounding f**king fabulous.

For the lifelong faithful and anyone who wants to understand how a British songwriting titan fought his way back to the very top of his game, this book is an absolutely essential piece of history.

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In the Shadow of the Sun – Paul Weller & the Nineties

Grab your copy at Souldeep.co.uk