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on. From the folk lilt of the violin, the raw punky guitars through to the rap delivery of the middle eight there is a diverse mixing pot of styles hear which undermines the simple folk rock tag that the band have been labelled with.

The lighter Hope Street, soon to be one of their biggest hits to date, follows with its violin lead riff and its social commentary we are on very familiar territory. The sound desk has got itself in order by now and a clear definition to the different instruments is now in place. Hope Street and its successor Fifteen Years are classic examples of the popularity of The Levellers, the songs have something to say about everyday life but do so in a way that doesn't sound like preaching and is also a accompanied by music that lifts you up and makes you want to dance.

Exodus marks a slight change in direction here, a heavy dub style rock delivers the story of that new age group that were the instigators of the outdoor rave scene in Britain. It should be remembered that however unlikely the alliance, the new age traveller scene that the Levellers became the soundtrack for were closely tied to the illegal underground music scene that spawned the rave culture of the late eighties and early nineties. This song, with its guest DJ , Explode from Prophets of Da City infuses all those elements in this historical reflection on that chapter of modern times.

The folk influences rise to the surface on the next song, one of the oldest in the set, which saw light of day on their debut album A Weapon Called The Word. Carry Me is an acoustic number about standing by your fellow man in hard times.

So, when you're standing by the roadside
and there's a long way to go
I'll carry you
if you carry me

The Boatman carries those folk influences deeper into traditional territory. The guitars blend together into an intricate weave of picked strings and strummed minor chords as the violin flows between them. Lyrically Mark, the main songwriter is content to leave the poignant statements behind and drop into a utopian dream as he muses on a simpler life. By contrast Three Friends, which follows is one of the stranger songs that feature in the bands repertoire. Effected violin and phased out guitars wash over a driving backbeat which is reminiscent something more akin to Hawkwind or Ozric Tentacles, but variety is the spice of life and this is a very spicy band we are dealing with here.

Always at the forefront of the Levellers songs is a love of the land, whether connecting

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