Levellers A Curious Life and Levellers Acoustic - Live Review | Festival Reviews

Not many bands would have the balls to let their video ghosts of glorious times past run riot down the aisles before going on stage and headlining their former selves, but the Levellers pull it off with great aplomb on their current A Curious Life and Levellers Acoustic tour.

It speaks volumes for these old stagers that the confidence is there not only to regale the audience with a very entertaining snapshot of their formative musical lives in the frankly rather good A Curious Life documentary film for the first hour, but then to enthral the crowd with an acoustic set scattered with songs from the darker corners of their extensive musical catalogue… and It All Works.

The shows format is interesting in itself with the documentary film filling the first part of the set, followed by a short Q&A with Levellers bassist Jeremy Cunningham and director Dunstan Bruce, before the guys hit the stage with a full acoustic set for afters.

The documentary is hugely entertaining, both funny and incisive, but also strangely endearing. Directed by ex Chumbawamba frontman Dunstan Bruce, the film plots the course of this famously dysfunctional band from inception to their mass popularity heyday of the late 80’s and 90’s; and all through the eyes of Cunningham. Bruce hits documentary gold with the astute positioning of Cunningham at the films centre, who, with gentle prompting, reveals a fascinating insight into the bands ethos and psyche. Oh, and along the way, it’s also very funny. Our Jez, you see, is an extremely likeable and entertaining cove, and well, a bit of a character. The film portrays the somewhat shambolic nature and lifestyle of this former Traveller and unofficial Levellers archivist. Cunningham appears to shuffle through life largely oblivious of his own personal charm, standing in the business, or indeed, his significant artistic talents. Modest and engaging, the man’s ramshackle creative personality provides an ideal window through which to present the rocket ride of the Levellers career through arguably their most creative and commercially successful period. There is never really a hint that this persona may be in any way contrived. A man of remarkable principle (as revealed in the film), our Jez would simply not allow anyone to be duped. There is this commendable integrity about the Levellers. Given the longstanding democratic ethos of the band, it’s somehow fitting that the quiet guy at the back, the bassist, is given carte-blanche to reveal the innards of the body Levellers. This is The Bassist’s Tale.

Sometimes brutally and painfully frank about his own personal demons and chemical peccadillo’s, other times remarkably incisive and astute in summary of the Levellers rollercoaster career, Bruce drives Cunningham to reveal fascinating details about his own life and that of the band. Beautifully intercut details of the minutiae of Cunningham’s day to day existence, counterpointed with blistering live snippets of the band at their youthful best, and staccato bursts of comment from other band members past and present, provide a thoroughly entertaining 78 minutes. Cunningham dominates the whole shebang, but interview segments by Chadwick and Friend et al, plus the band’s management and production teams, peel back the layers of the onion to reveal what is really at the heart of this anarchic, maverick, disparate bunch of troubadours.

No spoilers, go watch the film, but Cunningham’s mum and dad, immensely proud, commendably cool, pass brilliant commentary on Jez, the band, and, well life in general. A presence on Gogglebox for this pair is only a matter of time surely! Incidentally, Bruce does not pull the punches in coverage of the band’s tempestuous relationship with the music press and the wider music business. In the film, Glastonbury’s Eavis is largely dismissive of the band and their politics, the management team of the time still remains bemused by the band’s lack of commercial acumen, whilst the well documented skirmishes with the media are given a thorough airing. Cunningham’s responses, filmed in the lavatory, having scoured his extensive archives for every vitriolic press cutting, are particularly telling.

This film could easily have satisfied its commercial remit through simply cobbling together any old stock footage of the band and bland talking head linkage, the fact that you come away having shared an intensely human experience coupled with a much better understanding of what makes this complex band actually tick is a commendable achievement – go see it.

Now; Compare and Contrast. Follow all that first half malarkey with The Present Day Levellers guys... and they do – ingeniously they do, and in some style. This was an inspired set list littered with classics but interspersed with some lesser known nuggets. The live acoustic set does not attempt to compete with the documentary and past glories; rather the set simply complements and augments the documentary's content with a different slice and take on their music portfolio. Remember, these are seated gigs, so the tone was pitched just right. Don’t worry, you are actively encouraged to stand and dance in the sets latter stages for the likes of Dirty Davey and Carry Me, and the appreciative near sell-out crowd in Pondardawe certainly did, but from the opening Boatman (damn, that grit keeps getting in my eye every time I hear this), to the beautifully staged, Didg accompanied, haunting fragility of Elation, this was the Levellers at their melodic, and dare I say it, thoughtful best. They raided the locker to gift the crowd some perhaps lesser known tracks from the last twenty odd years and you can expect to hear the likes of Hard Fight, Edge of the World, Alone in This Darkness, and 61 Minutes of Pleading in the mix during this tour. This was a set pitched perfectly for the occasion and environment from a band that does not, and need not, fear it’s past.

Chadwick joked from stage about enjoying the ‘Levellers Multi Media’ show. No one was arguing – a night with a difference and all a bit special.

Article by Barrie Dimond

LEVELLERS – A CURIOUS LIFE TOUR 2015

January 2015

28th SALISBURY City Hall

29th PONTARDAWE Arts Centre

30th MALVERN Forum Theatre

31st DUBLIN St Patricks Cathedral*

February 2015

1st CANTERBURY Marlowe Theatre

24th ISLE OF WIGHT Shanklin Theatre

25th BURY ST EDMUNDS The Apex