Tuesday 28 July 2020

THE LEVELLERS

























"levelling the land"
Year:  1991
Country:  UK
City:  Brighton
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Folk Punk








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"idem"
Year:  1993
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  10
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  acoustic
Style:        Folk Punk















The Levellers are a folk punk band formed in Brighton, UK in 1988, consisting of Mark Chadwick (guitar and vocals), Jeremy Cunningham (bass guitar), Charlie Heather (drums), Jon Sevink (violin), Simon Friend (guitar and vocals), and Matt Savage (keyboards). Taking their name from the Levellers political movement, the band released their first EP in 1989 and LP in 1990, with international success following upon signing to China Records and the release of their second album "levelling the land". The band were among the most popular indie bands in UK in the early 90s, and headlined at the Glastonbury Festival in 1994, where they performed on The Pyramid Stage to the festival's record crowd, which numbered 300,000 people. This is a record which stands to this day. Self-described as having "a left wing view of politics", they continue to record and tour.



The "Rolling anarchy" logo, designed by Jeremy Cunningham, is often used by the band. It is composed of three sickles placed so as to form the letter A, recognizable however the logo is rotated. The symbol is often featured on Levellers merchandise and at concerts. It is usually surrounded with the text "Whoever puts their hand upon me to govern me is a usurper, a tyrant, and I declare them my enemy." These words, originally by the French anarchist philosopher Proudhon, had previously been used by the band Zounds who originally released their single "Can't Cheat Karma" featuring this quote on the Crass records label.
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"zeitgeist"
Year:  1995
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  13
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  acoustic
Style:        Folk Punk









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"truth and lies"
Year:  2005
Label:  none
Format:  CD
Tracks:  11
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  acoustic
Style:        Folk Punk


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"letters from the underground"
Year:  2008
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  acoustic
Style:        Folk Punk








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"static on the airwaves"
Year:  2012
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  acoustic
Style:        Folk Punk








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"we the collective"
Year:  2018
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  12
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  acoustic
Style:       Folk Punk














the original "The Levellers" were a political movement during the English Civil War (1642–1651) committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as shown by its emphasis on equal natural rights, and their practice of reaching the public through pamphlets, petitions and vocal appeals to the crowd.

The Levellers came to prominence at the end of the First English Civil War (1642–46) and were most influential before the start of the Second Civil War (1648–49). Leveller views and support were found in the populace of the City of London and in some regiments in the New Model Army. Their ideas were presented in their manifesto "Agreement of the People". In contrast to the Diggers, the Levellers opposed common ownership, except in cases of mutual agreement of the property owners.

The Levellers were not a political party in the modern sense of the term. They were organised at the national level, with offices in a number of London inns and taverns such as The Rosemary Branch in Islington, which got its name from the sprigs of rosemary that Levellers wore in their hats as a sign of identification.
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"peace"
Year:  2020
Label:  none
Format:  CD, LP
Tracks:  11
Time:  36 min.
Genre:  rock
Style:        Folk Punk














Peace: a word that’s both direct and loaded with meaning. On the surface, it suggests tranquility, evenness, a state of bliss already achieved. But the word that gives the Levellers’ 11th studio album its title is open to a multitude of interpretations, too. It could be a reference to a disappearing value. It could be a sneering statement of irony. It could be a cry for calm in a crazed world. It could mean whatever you want it to mean.
Peace is the most relevant album of 2020. Its 11 electrifying songs are a charged reaction to a world that seems to be teetering on the edge of madness and self-destruction. The environment is buckling under the weight of humanity’s disregard, right-wing demagogues are spreading hatred and fear across supposedly civilised nations, society and culture is trapped in a death spiral that’s playing out in real time across social media

It’s been a long journey to get here. Peace arrives almost eight years since the Brighton band’s last album of original material, 2012’s Static On The Airwaves. Produced at the band’s own Metway Studios by longtime collaborator Sean Lakeman, Peace possesses the clarity and directness of early Levellers classics such as their 1990 debut album A Weapon Called The Word and its landmark follow-up, Levelling The Land.

The Levellers have always been outsiders, even during that brief period when they found themselves in the mainstream spotlight in the 1990s. The margins are where they belong, and it’s where they’re happiest. But being outsiders doesn’t mean irrelevance. In the 30 years since they announced themselves with A Weapon Called The Word, the Levellers have created their own self-sufficient world, one that includes everything from their studio to their own festival. The fire that fuelled them 30 years ago is far from being extinguished. With Peace, that fire burns brighter than ever.
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