The Style Councillors Rock Brudenell

Written and Edited by Eve Moat

When The Style Council started out in 1982, I wonder if they ever thought their music would still be played? Not only on the radio, in people’s homes and through sound systems, but by tribute bands, who keep their music and culture alive. One of these such bands is The Style Councillors, the only Style Council tribute band in the UK, who in my personal opinion, brought the house down at Brude on that rainy Friday night.

Part of their ‘A Solid Bond in Your Heart’ 40th Anniversary Tour, The Style Councillors played tracks from across The Style Council’s discography. From Café Bleu to Our Favourite Shop, the breadth of songs made for a truly vibrant evening. Keeping the crowd entertained for the entire evening was clearly their forte, and they did it with such ease and of course style.

The entire band played brilliantly, and with many members, keeping in sync with each other showed pure talent. The mix of instrumental with vocals and the words of Paul Weller and his 80s band made for an exciting time, and the evening passed so quickly that we were surprised when it was coming to a close, and of course we were never bored.

One of my favourite parts of the band’s ensemble was the brass section. Every song which included their instrumental pieces elevated the music to a new level, and personally, I would say one of my only “improvements” for this tribute band would be to add more brass sections. They absolutely rocked!

Vocals from Darren as Paul Weller and Dani as D C Lee were impeccable and got the crowd dancing all night long. Speaking of the crowd, they were very friendly and there was always someone happy to talk to the next person. The crowd were a range of ages, walks of life and from all over the country. Many of the fans were from in and around London, similar to the band themselves who had come from Essex. No one wanted the band’s set to finish and the band bringing the gig to a close with the classic ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down’ was a perfect way to end the gig.

I spoke to Dani after the gig, and she said that they have all different ages attend their gigs, which surprised me due to the era of music, and she was very appreciative of the publicity and younger audience’s attendance. Not to state the obvious but I myself love music from all different eras, but often many people prefer music of their age and the music they have grown up with, heard in clubs, and resonate with in a social group. So to hear that the music of The Style Council is not only alive within this band, but also the local youth, as well as the audience who heard the music of The Style Council back in the 1980s, is a very promising sign.

I would strongly recommend going to see The Style Councillors on one of their next headline tour dates, but be quick because tickets do sell out!

Recommended tour date: The Leadmill, Sheffield – February 2025