Paul Weller performing in 2013. Photo: PA WireA new exhibition dedicated to the history of The Jam is a family affair with frontman Paul Weller’s sister Nicky acting as curator.
She has plundered her family’s record collection for the show which also includes handwritten lyrics, stage outfits, posters and scrapbooks from the band’s career.
The trio, who got together in Woking, were one of the biggest bands in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a string of hits including the number ones Going Underground, Town Called Malice and Beat Surrender.
The exhibition, running at Somerset House in central London, has been put together with the help of Weller and former bandmates Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton as well as his sister who ran the band’s fanclub at the height of their fame.
Weller said: “When we were in the band, I would never have thought that some 35-odd years later, there would be an exhibition in our name at Somerset House. How incredible it is to think of all the memorabilia from the band, our families and fans together in one place. What an honour.”
The show has another family link with footage of Weller’s father John, who managed the band, greeting visitors on arrival.
It goes on to cover the rise of the London punk scene, the band’s mod-influenced sense of style and their farewell gig in Brighton in 1982.
The show runs until August 31.