with my apologies for the delay in publishing this report :)
16/11/2008 : THE LEVELLERS - live in Palac Akropolis, Zizkov/Prague
One of the bands that, despite a lack of recognition in the press, seems to be unstoppable and never let the critics stop them from continuous recording and touring, are The Levellers. The English punkrockers from coastal city Brighton have been going for almost 20 years now and built a very loyal fanbase with their catchy combination of punkrock, English/Irish traditional music, and politically inspired lyrics that lean to left wing politics and especially a mild form of anarchy. Anti conformist, idealistic and guarantee for a party atmosphere, that is a short summary of why The Levellers have been attracting crowds from all different age groups all over Europe (plus a small but dedicated fanbase in the States) for many years now. The band has been going for nearly 20 years with hardly any interruption, if they are not recording they are constantly on the road with a very intense touring schedule. The line up also hardly changed for many years now, with most remarkable persons in the band of course singers Simon Friend and Mark Chadwick, violin player Jon Sevink, and charismatic bass player Jeremy Cunningham. During this European tour, three concerts in the Czech Republic were scheduled, of which the last one was in Prague.
The concert could not have been in a better place than the Palac Akropolis in Zizkov. Zizkov is a more or less centrally located area of Prague, one of the oldest ones (just spot the countless old houses, old apartment blocks dating from the communist era, etc) but also one of the most iconic ones. Zizkov is a nightlife district with a wide variety of options. The district is known to have more pubs per capita than any other area in the whole of Europe, and indeed the area has a certain attraction. It may look old and gloomy sometimes, but it still attracts with its vibrant atmosphere and wide variety of places worth visiting. Zizkov has a great number of artistic venues where young artists and an alternative crowd hang out, but the contrast with the many brothels and gambling houses only a few streets away is huge. But I guess those contrasts and that very special decor is what attracts people to come to Zizkov.
Palac Akropolis is a stonethrow away from the famous Flora shopping mall, the concert hall is in the basement of an old building that inside looks almost like a cavern. Many narrow rooms and corridors with each a few tables and a bar, it was special but it was cosy and charming.
The support act today was one man named James, an expat living in Prague for a while. His lyrics are in English but he did manage to get the attention of the crowd by speaking to them in fluent Czech. The man could maybe be discribed as singer songwriter but with a large rock attitude. Without any backing band, just his voice and his guitar, he still managed to create a very large spectrum of sounds and some excellent riffs. It was quite amazing how rock-esque this man sounded without any electric guitar or drums involved. Definitely a talented and charismatic guy, although I doubt many people will have remembered his act, as obviously the whole crowd was coming to see The Levellers.
The Levellers themselves took the stage shortly after and immediately chose for a classic to start with and get the crowd dancing. Fifteen Years, a song about a man looking back in melancholy while fading away in alcoholism, a relatively old song but still one that gets the crowd going each time. It is a typical Levellers song as well, with heavy guitar riffs with on top of that the Irish violin sounds of the fiddle. This is the classic Levellers sound that brought them fame in the first place, and this is still the Levellers at their best.
The more recent tracks, promoting the new album Letters From The Underground, then followed. That the band have still not forgotten how to write catchy tunes combined with politics laden lyrics or lyrics about the events ongoing in the world, was proven by their most recent single Burn America Burn, a song about the gun culture in the USA and especially about the bloodbaths caused by young people abusing the gun posession law.
And the gunman has just one round left, and he's saved it for himself
The cops are fighting, and some are on the run
There's a bloodbath in the school, and I've only just begun
The sun is shining, the days just begun
Start praying to your Gods, because I'm still having fun
More recent tracks followed, with a few older ones in between. Together All The Way really had the catchy and rocking sound that I appreciate so much about The Levellers. But then, this was one of the oldest tracks in their discography.
Generally though the newer tracks were a bit more calm and less heavy than the older Levellers work. The fiddle is still present in every song but often just collides with the guitar chords and becomes almost a background instrument. The new songs were absolutely far from bad and the lyrics still have that idealistic and society-criticising undertone, however they were just a bit calmer than the average Levellers track. The sound that really made the Levellers to what they were are the more heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums that create a heavy punkrock sound, coming to an apotheosis with an Irish traditional touch when the fiddle comes on top of the screaming guitars right at the moment when the music reaches its climax. This is the Levellers sound that has brought them the loyal fanbase they now have, and I somehow missed that climax and how the fiddle would come into play right at the perfect time rather than being a more constant less noticeable part of the overall sound in some of the recent tracks. It seems though that the majority of fans really enjoyed the new tracks, as the crowd was dancing as usual while bass player Jeremy Cunningham (his dreadlocks now long enough to reach his buttocks) was dancing and jumping around the stage as usual.
However, the audience was treated on some classics as well near the end of the setlist. First there was the uplifting Carry Me, and then a few tracks later it was time for their absolute signature tune "One Way", a song about the struggles of the working class, and about escapism out of the daily gloom by chasing your ideals and living life the way only you want to live it. This is the perfect Levellers track: meaningful lyrics, guitars that come to an absolute climax during the chorus, and Jon Sevink getting a leading role when right at the moment the guitars get heavier his fiddle creates a real Irish pub party atmosphere. This is a song that probably will never get old and always pass the hands of time, and it was a pleasure to see the crowd (with both youngsters and people well in their fourties) jumping around and singing along together that "there's only one way of life, and that's your own!". As has become traditional during recent times, a kilt-wearing guy with white facepaint and red hair is invited on stage to add some didgeridoo sounds to it. Great moment that really set the crowd on fire.
More classics followed near the end of the setlist, such as Riverflow as last song before the encores. Meanwhile the audience was also treated to a very old Levellers song that was embraced again as part of the setlist, the song "Belaruse" (note the odd spelling with the -e in the end) which is about the Chernobyl disaster and how badly it has affected the surrounding countries.
Belarus no longer feels the sun, but it's under the skin of everyone
Belarus, forgotten by the blind... that is until the next time
Remember all your yesterdays in the deep blue
before the world came and rested there on you
And if the sun and moon were both to doubt
Sure enough they'd both go out
When you can't walk in the field, feel water in your hands
You've been touched by the doubts of men
Remember all your yesterdays... in the deep blue
Before the world came and rested there on you
Some nice guitar riffs, in depth lyrics, and right in between there is the fiddle that almost creates a riff on its own and gives the song a really authentic Irish/British folk sound. It may be odd to add such an instrument in a song about a former Soviet country, but it just works to create a party atmosphere without forgetting the powerful lyrics.
The crowd was left screaming for more but also got what they asked for, with a 3 songs encore including two classics: Dirty Davey and maybe the second most known signature tune of the band, "Liberty Song".
They're trying to get to me, to take my liberty
No... Gotta go, go... Get out of here... You don't want me here... Gotta go go, get out of here because...
This means nothing to me, to me...
The way things were is the way I want to be!
Screaming heavy guitars, pounding drums, the fiddle that sets the crowd on fire as if the whole concert hall turned into a huge English or Irish pub for a moment, and the crowd all together singing along that nobody will ever take their liberty... It is an old tune, but it is catchy enough to never get outdated at all.
A great final of an overall quality concert, this was my 5th Levellers gig and once again they did not disappoint. Still, I must add the new material, while far from bad, is not the same as the old classics. A bit heavier guitars, and a better use of the violin (more on the forefront, less in the background) would have made them more memorisable for me. But for the old classics alone the concert was still worth the trip. Unfortunately there was no room for some other classics such as the very hopeful and dreamy What A Beautiful Day (a song about the power of escapism and believing in your dreams with a slight political sauce), Hope Street (the perfect description of what Zizkov looks like in fact: old dirty streets with gambling houses and many pubs) or Just The One (a song about alcoholism that really creates an Irish pub atmosphere - would have suited this decor perfectly well). Guess you cannot have it all...
While posing for a picture with bass player Jeremy and enjoying the chats with some other fans in the cosy basement of the Akropolis, I also had noticed the merchandise stand complete with CDs and shirts as usual, but also with Levellers scarves, all sorts of pins, and many other memorabilia. In a way this may seem a bit odd for a band which usually goes against the grain of our capitalist society, but guess we better ignore such debates and just enjoy the music. The band continues their European tour with some gigs in the Benelux left, and a full month of touring the UK in December.
Setlist:
- Fifteen Years
- Burn America Burn
- The Fear
- The Road
- Before the End
- Fight of Flight
- Together All The Way
- Death Loves Youth
- Sell Out
- Pale Rider
- Carry Me
- Eyes Wide
- One Way
- Belaruse
- A Life Less Ordinary
- The Cholera Well
- The Riverflow
Encores
- Far From Home
- Dirty Davey
- Liberty Song
