The Levellers (formed in 1988) is a British alternative rock, folk and punk band that subtly incorporates Celtic music traditions into their politically-fervent musical output, hailing from Brighton, England, UK.
Origianlly comprised of vocalist and guitarist Mark Chadwick, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Alan Miles, bassist Jeremy Cunningham, drummer Charlie Heather, and fiddle player John Sevink, The Levellers were formed in 1988. The following year the group issued a pair of cassettes on their own Hag label, “An Agreement of the People” and “All the Free Commons of England”, which earned the group a sizeable national following. The band’s subsequently release, the 1989 EP “Carry Me”, was led by the singles “Carry Me” and “England My Home”, both of which generated interest for The Levellers after being played on BBC Radio 2. The group toured in support of the record, before releasing the EP “Outside/Inside” towards the tail-end of 1989.
Due to these successes The Levellers signed with the French label Musidisc, who issued the band’s debut, platinum-selling record, “A Weapon Called the Word” in 1990. Led by the single “World Freak Show”, the album exposed the band to a national audience despite not reaching the UK charts. Following a move to China Records in 1991, The Levellers released their sophomore album “Levelling the Land” the same year, which charted at No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart. Aided by the No. 1 indie chart single “One Way”, the band supported the release with a sold-out European tour.
The full-length “Levellers” arrived in 1993, peaking at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart but also found the charts in the Netherlands and Sweden. Two years later the UK No. 1 album “Zeitgeist” was released, marking The Levellers’ most successful album to date. Led by the singles ”Hope St.” and “Fantasy”, the record established the group as alternative rock powerhouses in Europe, however failed to make an impression in the U.S. The live album “Headlights, White Lines, Black Tar Rivers (Best Live)” arrived in 1996 showcasing the group’s well-received live shows, followed by the No. 5 charting album “Mouth to Mouth” in 1997. The Levellers’ last release on China Records came in 2000 with “Hello Pig”, which charted at No. 28 on the UK Albums Chart.
Following period of inactivity for the group, in 2003 The Levellers returned to issue the studio album, “Green Blade Rising”, which was seen as a return to form. In 2005 the band were album to maintain this momentum with the inspiring “Truth & Lies”, which, like all of the group’s releases was toured extensively in support of. The politically-charged “Letters from the Underground” followed in 2008, after which Chadwick released the solo album “All the Peices” before returning to The Levellers in 2012 to released their 10th studio album “Static on the Airwaves”.
Phoebe Bridgers
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