|
THE LEVELLERS have been around for over two decades, delighting us with an
onslaught of albums, anthems, live shows, life mantras and even their own
festival. Last year saw the release of ‘Letters from the Underground’, another solid
effort from the punk folk fusion and this spring sees them back on stage to
wow a fanbase that continues to expand across generations. Currently preparing to tour the UK and bringing the 'Beautiful Days' festival
to life this summer, we catch up with legendary frontman, MARK CHADWICK, to
find out why he continues to level the land: Gemma: Mark, The Levellers have been going strong for over 20 years. Why and
how do you think you’ve manage to last this long? Mark: I don’t know, what can I say? We’re friends and we’ve got something
quite different and I guess there is nothing quite like us. Gemma: Over those 20 years, what would you say has been the highlight? Mark: There have been so many highlights, but the Beautiful Days festival we
organised in Devon was great. It’s the best festival in the country because
it’s the cheapest, least commercial and most audience orientated festival out
there. Gemma: And the low point? Mark: Waiting around can get pretty boring. Gemma: Do you still enjoy it? Mark: Yeah, we’re in the studio making stuff and enjoying it. Gemma: What’s the best thing about being on the road? Mark: You really get to see the other side of the world and get to know the
countries you are in. You see places all over, places other people would never
even bother to go to, so you get to see a lot, which is one of the best
things. Gemma: Out of all the hits you’ve had, from 'Beautiful Day' to 'One Way', what
track do you feel defines the spirit of The Levellers? Mark: It’s got to be 'One Way'. Gemma: What stuff do you enjoy playing the most? Mark: I do enjoy playing the new stuff but it depends on the night, as often
the old stuff can take on new meanings, which can be just as much fun. Gemma: Who would you describe as your greatest inspiration? Mark: I don’t know really, we just kind of stumbled upon our sound, the band
(The Levellers) just happened, but I would say Neil Young would have inspired
me a lot when I was younger and probably The Pogues. Gemma: Do you currently have any side projects on the go? Mark: I do a few bits and pieces, some solo stuff, but I prefer working with
the band as when the five or six of us get together, there is an energy and
sound which can’t be created alone. Gemma: What are your thoughts on the current political climate? i.e. G20,
Obama…? Mark: It’s really messed up, I mean Obama is a ray of sunshine but I’m not
sure how much of a ray of sunshine. As a band, we’ve always believed that the
British political system needs to be radically overhauled and it hasn’t been
and it won’t be. G20 certainly didn’t change anything – it was just about letting criminals off
the hook. Gemma: As a young, concertina-playing, Levellers fan, I remember heading to
Camden with my brother to hunt for cassettes and videos, but the music
industry has changed so much since then. Do you think it has changed for the better or worse? Mark: For artists like us, we never really made any money out of records
anyway, so it doesn’t really bother us, but I feel sorry for the other
artists, as it’s hard to make money now, really desperately hard, but I don’t
care about people downloading our music for free, we give away a lot of it for
free anyway. Gemma: The Levellers is a reference to a political movement established during
the English Civil Wars which emphasised - among other things - extended
suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance, expressed in the
manifesto 'Agreement of the People'. How important are these ideals to the band, considering you are named after
them? Mark: They were before and I think they always will be. As time has gone on,
there has obviously been various diversions in our way of thinking, but I
still think we have a very modernising way of thinking and looking at the
world. Gemma: Would you still like to be making music in 20 years time? Mark: I can’t see any reason why not, unless someone dies. Gemma: Is the suggestion that someone might die based on lifestyle choices or
just a reference to old age? Mark: We’re still quite young really, we’re only early forties and I don’t
think there is anything that would stop us. Gemma: I saw your last gig at Brixton Academy and noticed the fans were such a
diverse mix, literally aged 18-80. Why do you think you have such broad
appeal? Mark: I think we are quite unique in that respect as we get passed down from
generation to generation. Gemma: I also noticed that you walked into Brixton Academy on foot alongside
fans last year, which, for me, cemented the rumour that you have little
interest in the shinier side of rock. Would you agree? Mark: I’m not interested in that s**t. What’s the point? It doesn’t just go
against the ethos of the music, it goes against the ethos of actually living a
life because life is not really like that, even for the people that live like
that, it’s c**p and the only people you get to hang out with are other c****.
Gemma: Are you referring to anyone in particular?
Mark: I don’t really do that. Gemma: So they’re all really nice? Mark: Most of them are twits. I prefer friends I chose to make rather than
friends I have to make. Gemma: Did you ever think The Levellers would get this big? Mark: When we first started out, we gave ourselves ten years - what we thought
was a realistic option - but everything we’ve done, we have built upon by
effectively doing everything ourselves and not relying on other people to do
it and it seems to have worked. Gemma: What next? Mark: Well, we’ve got loads lined up, we did about 30 festivals last year and
30 the year before, so we’re laying off them a bit this year, we’re playing
gigs around the UK in April and May and have been in the studio recording. You
might be able to play the concertina on something if you want? Gemma: That would be amazing, thanks very much. Mark: I got one yesterday from a charity shop, I don’t know much about them
and can’t play it yet, but its f**king amazing. Gemma: It blends extremely well with the fiddle, so if you need a concertina
player, keep me posted. Mark: Fantastic, I will. Gemma: See you at the Forum The Levellers play London HMV Forum Saturday April 25 www.seetickets.com Photo - Ami Barwell
|
