Levellers

Some bands have fans, others have followers. Nobody would question the assertion that the Levellers are most definitely of the latter. Ever since five lads from Brighton came together in the late ’80s to brew up a heady concoction of anthemic folk rock, punk, crusty hippy idealism and left-wing politics, the band has acted as a lightning rod for kindred spirits.

Mark Chadwick, Alan Miles, Jeremy Cunningham, Charlie Heather and Jon Sevink formed the Levellers in 1988, releasing two well-received EPs the following year. Their debut album A Weapon Called The World arrived in 1990, positioning the band’s passionately played and politically charged folk rock at the intersection of The Waterboys and The Clash.

Miles was replaced by Simon Friend for the band’s second album, Levelling The Land, which offered up Levellers’ first true hit in the shape of One Way. Though they remained just shy of mainstream success through 1993’s Levellers and 1995’s Zeitgeist, the band had amassed a devoted following. That only grew with the success of their dalliance with Britpop on Mouth To Mouth in 1997, which contained the ubiquitous hit single Beautiful Day 

Save for a Greatest Hits collection in 1998, the band went relatively quiet, with three-year gaps between Mouth To Mouth, 2000’s dark and brooding Hey Pig and 2003’s Green Blade Rising, a return to the politically minded sprightly folk rock of their earlier records. By 2008’s Letters From The Underground, it was clear that Levellers were less concerned with another Beautiful Day style breakthrough and more focused on delivering records that connected directly with their fanbase.

Following Mark Chadwick’s solo outing in 2010, the band hit the road once more to mark the 20th anniversary of Levelling The Land. In 2012, they returned with Static On The Airways, followed in 2018 by We The Collective, an acoustic re-recording of their biggest hits, and in 2020 by Peace.

To mark Levelling The Land’s 30th birthday, Levellers announced an extensive 2021 UK tour, playing the album in full alongside some of their most beloved songs from their storied career.