Levellers

Named after a political movement during the English Civil War, The Levellers rebel rousing gypsy punk made them heroes to the new age travelling community and champions of alternative lifestyles. Formed in Brighton in 1988 by front man Mark Chadwick and bass player Jeremy Cunningham, the group's boisterous spirit and Celtic revelry built a loyal fan base that saw hordes of students and travellers hitch-hiking across the country to see them. The word-of-mouth success of debut album 'A Weapon Called the Word' (1990) continued to build the band's profile and follow-up 'Levelling the Land' (1991) became one of the cult records of the time thanks to the rallying cries of anthems 'One Way' and 'Battle of the Beanfield'. More mainstream success came when third album 'Levellers' (1993) reached number two in the UK, while 'Zeitgeist' (1995) went one better and gave the band their first chart-topping record. Top 20 singles included 'Hope St.', 'Just the One' and their big radio hit 'What a Beautiful Day'. Also famed for their political input and a willingness to fight for left wing causes, their wild hoe downs continued to make them a major festival attraction long after the hits dried up. They created their own annual Beautiful Days festival in Devon which went on to win the Grass Roots Festival Award in 2006. After extensive touring the band returned to the studio in 2008 to record 'Letters from the Underground' which charted at number 24. They won the Roots Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2011 and released their tenth album 'Static On the Airwaves' in 2012. 'We the Collective' followed in 2018 featuring remastered versions of previously released songs and earned the band their highest charting record in more than 20 years, reaching number 12 in the UK Albums Chart.

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