Levellers

Levellers

Things first started happening in 1988 when a group of regulars at the "Eagle" in Brighton teamed together. The story goes (according to Levellers biographer in "Dance Before the Storm") that they were disilusioned with music, and about to sell there instruments for whatever price they could get. But instead, the Levellers were born. They won a following by playing local gigs. They also made a series of demo tapes with titles like All the Free Commons of England and An Agreement of the People.

The first vinyl release came in '89 - a 12" EP named The Last Days Of Winter. It's from this point that well-known and much-loved songs like Carry Me and England My Home came to be. They're still available on the "A Weapon called the Word" album and on the stunning live album called "Headlights and White Lines". The Carry Me EP was a huge success and even got played on Radio 1 - despite a bit of bad language which (ahem) the powers that be appear not to have noticed.

From this point the band became gradually more and more known, and their headlining gig at Glastonbury '92 sparked the biggest crowd the festival had ever known to that point.

A succession of albums follow - an early highlight being the band's second album Levelling the Land which includes the classic One Way.

The Levellers have always been an incredible live band, and that has contributed to their success. They do a huge number of gigs each year mainly in the UK and Europe. If you get the chance, they are well worth seeing live.

The band's latest album is Green Blade Rising, a beautifully recorded album with some lush fiddles and nice acousticcy songs. There's some heavier stuff in there as well. This is a real gem that will grow on you and then grown on you some more.

Official Site Review: Levellers at Glastonbury 2004