It was a rainy Sunday night, and truth be told – I was a bit knackered from a rather large weekend. So dropping into a gig where legendary folk rockers The Levellers entertained the rabble at a packed out Sheperds Bush Empire may or may not’ve been the best idea.
But despite being new to this particular well loved band, I can say I enjoyed myself. They’re a band, that even if you’re don’t know them that well, command a certain amount of respect onstage, when you see how the crowd react.
The Levellers draw up their energy from the very folk rock roots that define them, and they play like they really mean it - a band that believe in every word they sing. The crowd of fans are a jumping pushing mass, energised by their heroes onstage. Most of the people in the room are original fans, an older crowd than I’m used to, but these type of punters are most definitely young at heart.
There’s an impressively rough little circle pit happening up front the whole time, a sure sign things are going well. During the course of the evening, I’m looking down on this mental crowd, surrounded by bouncing fans, the floorboards bending under their weight. A small fight breaks out between two women just below me, and later on one of them actually gets her back by getting her kicked out before the end! Emotions run high. People lose themselves in the charged atmosphere. Meanwhile onstage the band are having a blast. Bassist Jeremy Cunningham jumps around, flinging his long orange dreadlocks everywhere while Jon Sevink whips out lively tunes on his electric fiddle. Singer Mark Chadwick leads the crowd in what is often like a massive rowdy singalong.
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Halfway through the set, the striking figure of Stephen Boakes runs out onto the stage. He’s wearing flourescent tribal face paint and clutching a didgeridoo, which he points at the ceiling and begins to play, like a call to arms. His performance leads nicely into the first anthemic moment of the gig ‘One Way of Life’, a song that no doubt sums up the philosophy of the band, and all the diehard fans in the room. The chorus of ‘What a Beautiful Day’ is belted out to raise the roof. And for the encore, a soulful harmonica note rings out into the theatre before the whole place once again tranforms into even more of a stomping unified party atmosphere than the first half.
It’s a heartening sight, and the buzz of it all eventually revived my weary head. Sunday night – it’s never too late to hit that second wind. Or for bands like the Levellers, just continue that high you were already on.
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