The Levellers - Friday 16th Nov 2012, Engine Shed, Lincoln

It's certainly an interesting time for folk-rock veterans The Levellers.  Now on their 10th studio album (a fantastic return to form) and back touring in a time of Conservative-led rule the band have appear to have a new lease of life and a new batch of political/economic gripes to deal with as their energetic 11 date UK tour reaches Lincoln's Engine Shed.

You can always rely on the Levellers to put on a lively show and from surprise opening track 'We Are All Gunmen' it looks clear from the off that they won't disappoint as they lunge into frantic fiddle, furious folk rock and powerful political preaching (this time focusing on returning troops from Afghanistan).  The fantastic acoustics inside the Engine Shed gives the sound a much heavier feel than at some of their previous theatre gigs.  With the venue just under 3/4 full there is ample room for the hugely diverse combo of volatile crusties/hippies and one time lefty students turned middle aged toe-tapping professionals to enjoy the night and co-exist in relative harmony. 

Next up their biggest hit 'Beautiful Day' is unleashed and the two-pint jug wielding crowd are jumping like they're at an Irish Ceilidh.  An unlikely mosh pit develops and a punk with a 'Maggie: Hurry Up And Die' leather jacket is orchestrating an almighty folk hoe-down upon the band's final chorus.  Utterly enjoyable stuff just 10 minutes in.  I read somewhere that the band have a policy to pool all of their earnings and draw a regular daily wage evenly; tonight’s gig testifies to their teamwork, each one bringing a key element to the band’s trademark sound without over-stepping their remit.  Mark and Simon are passing the lead vocal baton all night and there are strong performances from all contributors, the band themselves looking like they are having a great time.

Other highlights of this gig includes ‘One Way Of Life’ a hotly received alternative manifesto with its rebellion against conforming to the ‘system’ which sounds as defiant as it was back in 1992 in the bands real heyday.  The set is heavily drawn from their seminal album ‘Levelling The Land’ including hippie wood-stove sing-along ‘Carry Me’, the anthemic ‘Liberty’ and a faster more ferocious ‘Sell Out’.  Another plucked from this album, ‘Boatman’ brings didgeridoo specialist Steve Boakes to the stage who serenades the bewitched crowd with a droning masterclass.

The middle section of the gig also sees some virtuoso violin work from Jon Sevink who stands on the top stage in front of the drums in low blue lighting like an ethereal Pan The Piper.  New track ‘Forgotten Towns’ has Sevink’s fiddle sounding both eerie and frenetic as Mark Chadwick tells of Britain’s declining high-streets and marginalized communities.  There is a huge cheer that greets ‘Riverflow’ which hurtles along at break-neck speed with its signature fiddle and has the straw hats bobbing metronomically throughout. 

The performance drifts a little in places and it is clear that the majority of the audience haven’t fallen in love with the newest album 'Static On The Airwaves' just yet.  The Levellers-by-numbers ‘Mutiny’ isn’t quite up there with the older work but there is no doubt that the witty story-telling and banjo Wurzels party ‘Recruiting Sergeant’ is fast becoming a live favourite.  The anti-war stance and rejection of capitalist ideals has been a key draw to the disenfranchised and traveller communities throughout their career.  Unlike many of their peers (Bono/Martin), The Levellers have somehow always found a way of marrying politics and music without sounding sanctimonious or embarrassing.  Let’s not forget the fact that they are outstanding song-writers too and many of their most loved songs were omitted tonight (‘Hope Street’, ‘Another Man’s Cause’ and ‘Battle Of The Beanfield’).

They may be struggling to get the airplay and attention in today’s world of reality karaoke and imported R'n'B but on tonight’s evidence they have the fanbase, live reputation and subject material to inspire a new generation. 

Best Track - Watch online through link below:

Levellers - The Boatman

Set-List:

We Are All Gunmen
Beautiful Day
1. The Game
2. Fifteen Years
3. Truth Is
4. The Road
5. Sell Out
6. Raft of the Medusa
7. Before the End
8. Mutiny
9. The Boatman
10. Our Forgotten Towns
11. One Way
12. Carry Me
13. Dirty Davey
14. Riverflow
15. Cholera Well

Encore:

18. Far From Home
19. Liberty

Encore 2:

20. The Recruiting Sergeant