A rudimentary knowledge of world history supplemented by five minutes trawling the internets has left me with the conviction that there are two distinct sorts of anarchist. There’s the Kick-Ass, whose average morning consists of assassinating a reactionary archbishop whilst simultaneously flipping Franco the bird and getting oral from some 1930s scene chick. And then there’s type two, the Total Pussy, who believes that nose piercings are pretty edgy and that finding a cure for cancer is so totally not worth it if some fluffy-wuffy bunnies have to get hurt in the process. I’m hoping that hardcore fans of anarco-folk-punk-hyphen-genre-enthusiasts The Levellers belong to the latter variety, because I have a shameful confession to make – since the band’s formation way back in the Pre-Cambrian Era, this reviewer has resolutely failed to give a toss about them. As such, last year’s über gig at the Albert Hall to celebrate their 20th anniversary rather passed me by, which is a pity if the resulting live CD album is anything to go by.
While you’re not getting the entire concert – the recording equipment crashed and burned during the show, apparently – the ten tracks on offer provide a decent mix of old and new, with tunes taken from ‘A Weapon Called The Word’, ‘Levellers’, ‘Zeitgeist’, ‘Mouth To Mouth’ and latest album ‘Letters From The Underground’. It’s good to discover that, to my non-Levellers attuned ear at least, the newer stuff stands up well alongside ye olde hits – honours for standout track are split between 1993’s melancholy ‘Julie’ and 2008 single ‘Before The End’.
Other high points include harmonica-heavy agitpop ‘Together All The Way’, rumbustious crowd-pleaser ‘Men-An-Tol’ and the anthemic ‘Chemically Free’. Sadly, ‘Live At The Royal Albert Hall’ does commit one major war crime in the shape of the retardedly awful ‘This Garden’. It speaks to the high quality of dope available in 1993 that there were enough epically stoned people in the country to push this unholy melange of didgeridoo drone and half-arsed rap to the dizzying heights of #12 in the UK Singles Chart. Cower in shamefaced self-loathing, early ’90s Britain.
Assuming, however, that you bury track nine at the crossroads with a stake through its heart, I’ve got to say that this is a pretty decent live album; the band are on good form, there’s an interesting range of songs and the sound quality is top notch. It may not win any new converts, but ‘Live At The Royal Albert Hall’ is well worth popping into the low-fat, biodegradable, fair trade Christmas stocking of your favourite Levellers’ fan.
