September 7, 2009
This photo is the first I’ve scheduled in wordpress to be uploaded to flickr (and twitter updated) while I’m off out doing more interesting things. It’s also a reminder of places I yearn to be rather than stuck sitting at a computer.
Levellers Didgeridoo The always wonderful Steven Boakes takes centre stage during the Levellers set at Wizard Festival 2009.
Photo by SpoiltCat, on Flickr
Twitter Update the last of my Wizard Festival pics I’ll upload – iconic didge photo http://bit.ly/DeUsP
September 2, 2009
I’m still struggling with the best post-processing for these type of shots, although I think I’m getting better at choosing the right in-camera settings now. Taken on my wee compact G10 camera in very low, unpredictable gig lighting (obviously!) and I’m still not certain of the balance of compromise between leaving the “natural” digital noise versus the cleaned, rather soft plasticy feel when using noise reduction software.
Levellers : Wizard Festival 2009 Another “cider in one hand & G10 in the other” gig photo!
Photo by SpoiltCat, on Flickr
December 24, 2008
I first saw the Levellers live at T in the park festival a mere month after their now legendary performance on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 1994. I’d been a fan of their music for a fair while beforehand and was never likely to be disappointed but the set, and in particular English Civil War
I’ve been at a fair number of Levellers gigs since and although the drink is dearer these days, my knees are never as keen on dancing all night as they were and, tonight, the ABC glitter ball is a poor substitute for the summer festival sun, there is still no fear of disappointment. With many bands who have as large a back catalogue of music as the Levellers there is often the concern whether they’ll play only to promote the new album, will they still keep the old singles & chart hits in the set list and will they play my own personal favourites.
The Levellers are masters at crowd pleasing though — one of the reasons they have the reputation as a great festival band — and they know exactly the balance to strike. The ABC gig leans heavily towards the current new album Letters from the Underground
A regret? My intention had been to go watch the Levellers gig in Inverness the night before without camera with just the intention, and freedom, to enjoy every moment dancing and bouncing off the barrier in the front row. Maybe next tour I’ll organise both a photo gig and a dancing/drinking gig. I’m looking forward to it already …
[flickr tag=levellers]
(more…)
October 19, 2006
The world needs more Levellers fans. Unfortunately I can’t say this offering will win over anyone new; but it will reaffirm the adoration of us current followers.
Recorded earlier this year at Reading’s Hexagon, this is a twenty-three song set, half ‘best of’ and half obscurities. It’s not the Levellers’ best live performance though, the band don’t show the same enthusiasm they did on the preceding Wake The World DVD. There’s a minimum of chat with the crowd and at times it seems as though it’s jarringly rushed or cut headlong into the next song so that everything would fit in before curfew. The visual mixing gets somewhat off-putting at times as well, unaccounted black & white moments, pixellated cuts, maximum contrast—it all seems a little too much as though someone has just discovered effects filters for the first time and wanted to use them all.
Where this DVD wins out though is in the extras. We have more live action with a set of acoustic tracks from the Buxton Opera House in 2004 and the simply wonderful Joe Strummer birthday tribute from the encore of the Levellers] set at the Beautiful Days Festival in 2005. Billy Bragg’s monologue about The Clash, the originating punk ethics of the Levellers and the route to political change influenced by the music we listen to sits so much better with me than the main gig’s satirised Bush soundbite intro.
The other winning extra feature Part Time Punks takes us back to 1993 Tour Diary footage and should act as an education for anyone not old enough to remember times when simple sloganeering cut through to the heart of matters without the spin and pish that the media throw so gratuitously over issues today. To those of us old enough to remember when music could still be political and good fun to dance to, this will serve as a reminder that maybe we still could change the world.
Buy this for disc two with its look back to when the Levellers were a punk band first and pop/folk second and for the great Clash covers at Beautiful Days. Forget Bush’s ‘war on terror’, or anyone who looks at him funny, the world needs fewer insane extremists and apathetic youngsters, the world needs more bands like the Levellers to rabble rouse.
The SpoiltCat.com Blog only has one rule, “Never apologise for lack of updates.”
If there’s something interesting to share then we’ll try to find the time to share it, if not we’ll try to find something interesting. Updates will be irregular, we’ll neglect you and you may wonder if there will ever be another article.
Don’t worry though, we’ll write again soon—where “soon” is an undefined quantity …
“if only you could see what I've seen”
Site content Copyright © 2003–2011 SpoiltCat.com Site hosted by AltNation
