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 The
Levellers have played Preston a few times in recent years, each
at the Guild Hall, most recently in March 2003, which was recorded
for a fan club DVD. It was surprising that this time they decided
to play a much smaller venue as part of a small intimate club tour.
The
Mill was already packed when the support '3 Daft Monkeys' came on
stage. They come from Cornwall, and have a very varied sound, mixing
folk with other influences such as punk and reggae. They were very
entertaining, and the Levellers have already invited them back to
support them in Ireland in April. A lot of people came away (myself
included) wanting to hear more by this band.
The
Levellers came on stage at five to nine, opening with a track off
their new album 'Truth and Lies' which is out in May. More familiar
songs 'The Game' and 'Sell Out' followed from their classic album
'Levelling the Land'. A lot of the gigs the Levellers played last
year were acoustic ones at festivals and theatres, but playing electric
gigs again (especially in such a small venue) seemed to bring a
extra found energy into the band.
The
majority of the set, though not containing many of their hit singles,
contained many of the fans classics, including 'Belaruse', 'Men-an-Tol',
'Fifteen Years', Three Friends' and the band's anthem 'One Way'.
Another highlight of the show was the new single 'Make You Happy'
which is to be released on 18 April. The set ended with 'The Riverflow'.
Two
set of encores followed including 'The Battle of the Beanfield',
Liberty', and 'Beautiful Day', the hit single which they have named
their own annual festival after, which is held each August in Escot
Park, Devon. See Beautiful
Days.
The
show finished with 'What you Know' from their debut album 'A Weapon
Called the World', a song rarely played live in recent years until
they started doing the acoustic shows. Overall a great show, proving
that the Levellers are still one of the best live acts in the country.
 The
Levellers return to the North West on Saturday 9 April at Warrington
Parr Hall.
See also:
Peter
Woods gives the last interview with All About Eve
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