Sunday Dec 27 LEVELLERS AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL The Levellers must be on record somewhere stating that they hold the crown for the all time most toured British Rock band in the UK. Since forming in 1988, The Levellers to date have performed in nearly every European venue you could think of including The Royal Albert Hall. 2010 will be the 21st Anniversary for The Levs and they are celebrating with an OTF fan club freebie CD. The disk contains songs performed at The Albert Hall and is available now at Levellers Official Website              Levellers Review at the Royal Albert Hall 27-9-2008 A Great Man once wrote...`Nothing is impossible in my all powerful mind` These fine lyrics are taken from the 1997 Award Winning Levellers Album Mouth to Mouth track 2 `What A Beautiful Day` `This is the quickest song I have ever written` says Mark Chadwick. Rewind 10 years ago when `What A Beautiful Day`reached #13 in the UK charts and inform Mark Chadwick that the Levs would one day play the Royal Albert Hall and he would probably say that you are having a giraffe. Fast forward from then to the Beautiful Days Festival summer 2002 and ask him again. He may have answered.. sure why not? So lets bring you up to date.. On a warm Saturday evening 27th September 2008 the Levellers graced centre stage at the Royal Albert Hall celebrating 20 years in the music Industry. Long time good friend of the Levellers, Nick Harper takes firstly to the stage in support with an eclectic selection of modern folk songs to warm up the colourful arrivals. Nick strummed some fine songs from his albums across the decades, including, Seed, Harperspace and Treasure Island, using the full effect of the Hall`s acoustics delivering wider sounding accappellas. This is Nick`s second appearance at the RAH, he once sat on his fathers lap at a Roy Harper show. Nick Harper`s finale features his daughter singing `Graham Nash - Our House` to an appreciative crowd as Nick announces that the Harper legacy will live on. During the interval the foyers and bars are brimming with Levellers fans unerringly dressed in theatre attire. The gents sporting dickie bows cumberbands and top hats coupled with the ladies in home made colourful ball gowns and flowing dresses. The tannoy announces showtime for the Levellers and the grand theatre fills quickly. The house lights dim slowly to a rapturous applause as Mark Chadwick and Jon Sevink take to the grand stage. Mark greets the masses in a gentlemens manner and welcomes one and all to the RAH with a song first performed in 1988, the very beginning of the Levellers arrival, `No Change` taken from the first studio album Weapon Called The Word This is quite a poignant moment and judging by the audience reaction you could easily sense it right to the core of the house. This feeling remains as Matthew Savage gently plays the first 3 keys on the grand piano to `Edge of the World`. This wonderful ballad transpires into a beautiful string quartet complete with master Cello. ` Edge of the World` is taken from the Levellers 7th studio album Hello Pig in 2000. During the introductory songs, more Levellers and guests individually stroll on stage and take their position, thus producing a very well orchestrated entourage of artists and artistes still showing great stage presence. Simon Friend picks up his mandolin for an up tempo version of `Elation`. Simon looks smart in a pin striped suit with matching treble clef tie. Jeremy Cunningham takes a bow on entry as Mark introduces him as Sideshow Bob. Jez settles on the podium with his big bass guitar in front of a smiling Charlie Heather on drums. Next to Charlie in the drum kit pit sits Mr.Thomas White from Brakes and ESP as guest of honour on percussion for `The Boatman` and `Together All the Way`. Nick Harper takes a bow once again as he rejoins the stage with guitar for the infectious `Lowlands of Holland`. Critics say the Levellers have never produced a love song untill their latest record `Before The End` released through Letters From The Underground featuring the dulcet tones of Lois Teague. But listen again to the Hello Pig album to find `Red Sun Burns` and `Gold and Silver`. The 1997 `Mouth to Mouth` album saw a video release to compliment `Celebrate`. These are not love songs but wonderful ballads written with a kind of passion you could melt to. These are the songs that maybe should have made the setlist at the Royal Albert Hall. `Julie` and `Chemically Free` did make the setlist and sounded strong and dramatic from the back of the house where we where seated. It is said that no matter where you sit in the RAH, your ears will receive equal quadraphonic bound around surround sound. After the 15 minute interval for drinks and canapes, The Levellers re-appear in their numbers and continue to plough through many segueways of hits including.. What A Beautiful Day, Hope St and This Garden featuring StevieB on a mesmerising Didge and Gemma Carre providing Angelic BV`s. The finale is complete with a classic encore anthem `One Way` from 1991 Levelling The Land Sounding as effervesant as the day it was performed live on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury 1992. The Levellers family have obviously worked very hard in their 21 years touring three quarters of the globe and must have felt quite humbled to be on stage backed up with an amazing light show and swirling crisp acoustics provided by The Royal Albert Hall. Happy Anniversary to the Mighty Levellers. Roy Sandbrook

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