There are festivals, there are gigs, and then there are occasions that feel more like a family celebration.
On one of the most glorious late-summer days Brighton could have ordered, Hove Park gradually filled with a crowd who had come to welcome home one of the city’s most enduring musical exports.
Levellers were headlining a special hometown show, called “A Beautiful Day Out, ” celebrating 35 years of “Levelling the Land”, the seminal 1991 album that helped define their folk-punk sound. Around 90 per cent of the album was written in Brighton, giving the occasion an obvious connection to the city.
It was impossible to miss just how much love and affection Brighton has for them. There was a real sense of the city welcoming them home. But first, there was a rather excellent afternoon to get through.
By the time Levellers walked onto the stage, Hove Park was full. Really full. The roar from the crowd was enormous. There was a huge sense of affection in the air. Brighton clearly loves this band.
The band emerged from Brighton in the late 1980s and built their reputation by mixing folk, punk, rock and politics. “Levelling the Land”, released in 1991, became their defining album and eventually went platinum, and 35 years later the songs still sound as fresh and relevant as ever.
The set included many of the songs that have become Levellers’ classics, including “One Way”, “The Game”, “Fifteen Years”, “The Boatman”, “Liberty Song”, “Far From Home”, “The Riverflow” and “Battle of the Beanfield”. And they sounded fantastic.
Frontman Mark Chadwick and bassist Jeremy Cunningham were joined by Jon Sevink on fiddle, Charlie Heather on drums, Dan Donnelly on guitar and mandolin, and some touring musicians.
The fiddle cut through the guitars, the drums drove everything forward and Chadwick’s unmistakable voice carried across the park. The whole place was dancing and singing.
This is what Levellers do so well. Their music brings people together. The big choruses, the fiddle, the guitars and the sheer energy of the band make it almost impossible to stand still. And Brighton knew every word.
Looking across Hove Park and seeing thousands of people singing along to songs that were written here 35 years ago was a wonderful sight. The atmosphere was warm, relaxed and completely communal. There was a real feeling that everyone was there for the same reason: to celebrate the band, the music and their connection with Brighton.
The Hove Park performance also marked the beginning of a busy period for Levellers. After their September dates, the band head into a substantial “Levelling the Land 35” tour, including dates in Germany, the Netherlands, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow, York, Llandudno, Blackpool, Nottingham, Bristol and London, with The Meffs joining them on many of the dates. Much of this tour is sold out.
Three-and-a-half decades on, Levellers still have the energy, the songs and the ability to turn a huge park into one enormous dance floor. A beautiful day, a brilliant line-up, a packed park and a very happy audience that clearly hadn’t forgotten how much it loves this band.
For an album so closely connected to Brighton, there could hardly have been a better place to celebrate 35 years of “Levelling the Land”. The band came home and they rocked Hove Park big time.
Sleeper delivered a generous helping of Britpop nostalgia. Louise Wener remains an effortlessly charismatic frontwoman, and the band looked completely at home on the big outdoor stage.
Sleeper had huge success during the 1990s, with eight Top 40 singles and three Top Ten albums, before splitting in 1998.
They reformed in 2017 and have continued to release new music alongside the songs that made them such a distinctive part of British indie. There was plenty of singing from the crowd, and more than a few people who suddenly seemed to have rediscovered their 1990s dancing legs.
Opening the day’s proceedings were The Meffs, and they certainly weren’t interested in gently easing anyone into the day. The Essex punk duo, Lily Hopkins on guitar and vocals and Lewis Copsey on drums, delivered short, sharp and politically-charged punk songs at full speed. They produced the sort of glorious racket that makes you wonder how two people can possibly make quite that much genius noise.
They have a wonderfully unpolished, anarchic energy and seemed determined to get everyone moving. At one point Lily Hopkins left the stage and headed into the audience, getting everyone dancing. It was a brilliant moment and set the tone for the afternoon.
Hastings’ Kid Kapichi, brought a sharper, harder edge to proceedings. Led by Jack Wilson on vocals and guitar and Eddie Lewis on bass, their raw blend of punk, rock and social commentary went down extremely well with a crowd that was becoming increasingly reluctant to stand still.
They were loud, direct and full of energy, showing exactly why they have become such an important part of the Sussex music scene. By now, Hove Park was really beginning to get going.
Brakes, formed in Brighton in the early 2000s and known for their eccentric mix of indie rock, garage rock, country and punk. Eamon Hamilton on vocals and guitar, Tom White on guitar, Marc Beatty on bass and Alex White on drums.
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