Levellers

Mick got in touch last week as he'd spotted that the levellers were playing at the octagon in sheffield. Unfortunately the gig had sold out, but I suggested that he pop along anyway cos we might get some tickets off of some touts. So last night we headed out, and after a bit of bargaining, managed to get ourselves a couple of tickets, for not much more than face value. I'm only familiar with a few Levellers tunes from way back in the early 90s, Mick was a huge fan and had been to see them on several occasions. It was interesting looking around the audience, as it's about 10 years since the levellers were a really huge act, to see how the crusties and hippies from the 90s had morphed into accountants and the like. You just knew that some of them had fashioned their hair into a mohican for the first time in years, and come monday morning it would be a sensible side parting again!

Where as some of the audience had moved on from their teenage hippy ideals, the levellers came on stage and it was clear that they had not, in fact I'm sure the bass player, sporting long dreads, hadn't washed his hair since 1991. They played with passion and great musicianship. Me and Mick became a bit frustrated with the group of people in front of us, standing completely stationary, with a harry potter look-a-like taking numerous photos on his digital camera. All of which will be blurred, cos you have to keep the camera rock steady when using the zoom function. Anyway, we couldn't keep still any longer, and during one of the classics we pushed our way past and entered the mosh pit for some deranged jumping and dancing. It was great fun, not done that for years, but then most of the bands I see aren't the moshing types, and those that are generally attract sweaty long haired 14 year old boys to the mosh pit. Anyway, the folky roots of the tunes had me dancing like michael flatley, fantastic.

For the encore they brought on a dijerido(sp?) player, and though it sounds quite haunting, it's not really a rock music instrument, and so to compensate the player had painted his face white with huge black eyes and splashes of orange that fluoresced under the UV lights, sporting a larger red feather boa. He then did his best to try and detract attention from the rest of the band by waving his instrument high into the air - but to be honest it just wasn't rock & roll.

Listening to some of the charged political messages of the songs got me to thinking, that since Maggie left power there hasn't been any bands coming through with political messages like in the 90s, where we had carter usm, chumbawumba, levellers and even the manic street preachers. More's the pity..