The Midlands city of Wolverhampton is swiftly becoming something of a hotspot for music this Autumn. Tomorrow we welcome Saxon in the venue next door, and then Drowning Pool the day after back here in the Steel Mill, making this Wiseman a very busy boy on the run up to Xmas, albeit missing his two usual traveling companions if you’re to believe all that mythos mumbo jumbo! Tonight’s offering, The Levellers, are not something new to me, having seen them here in Wolves before as well as a few times across in The Netherlands in the legendary Melkweg venue, Amsterdam.
Arriving around 8pm I get out of the drizzle to find it’s already rammed inside, something which must have pleased Grace Petrie enormously, allowing her to showcase her version of folk rock songs to an audience quite possibly new to her work. Sounding not dissimilar to Ani DiFranco, an artist more prolific than a politician’s excuses for not publishing the Epstein list , whom I’ve also encountered in Amsterdam incidentally, (Ani! Not Epstein!!), she was greeted with enthusiasm. Having had nearly 20 years in the business she’s not remotely intimidated by such a swathe of anticipatory faces and seemed to revel in the spotlight afforded her. And why not? Delicate in her delivery but upbeat enough to keep us all engaged it was an interesting beginning to the evening.
For a Thursday night I’m seriously impressed at the turnout. Surprisingly The Levellers set starts reasonably early, and we’re treated to a 20 song ensemble, the first chunk of which is the Zeitgeist album in its entirety. I have to say in terms of sound production this was the best gig I’ve been to in a long time. Every word and note was crystal clear, resonating round the room like some sort of acoustical alchemy had been performed. The last time I’ve heard anything of a similar standard or ilk was at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham and that’s quiet the accolade. It’s almost too good, and has the feeling that you’re listening to a recording of a live album rather than actually being there, and this was amplified by the almost complete lack of interaction from the band. I noticed there were some very professional microphones on show so it’s entirely possible that this show might manifest in a few months as an album! Given they finished a full 20 minutes earlier than the usual end time at KKs, that also suggests something similar as it felt like they were playing to a schedule.
None of that detracts from quite how good The Levellers were. In addition to the album tracks there were six more tracks at the end, although one of these was a short instrumental used as a bridge from the first set to the second, and one more, “Alive- Edit” which was sandwiched in between tracks 6 and 8. Probably the best reception for any of the songs came for “One Way”, which was belted out by the crowd to the point that it nearly quashed the singer, and for all of the fact that this was a tour for the “Zeitgeist” album anniversary it felt like this was actually what everyone was waiting for. Followed by “Carry Me” the mood was maintained, although perhaps with more of a sway than the bounce that accompanied the previous song.
The crowd again needs a nod in creating such an atmosphere. “The Road” and “Riverflow” finished the evening off with absolutely everyone bouncing at an end time of 10.24pm, leaving said crowd a little bemused as to quite where the last 20 minutes of the gig were. I’m not entirely sure they realised that 20 songs had been performed due to the quickfire nature they were deployed as mentioned before, so it’s not like we were short changed at all. In fact, for me as someone who’s eternally complaining about the vocal at concerts not being clean and clear enough, in my opinion, if you had synesthesia it really was a joy on the ears to behold! I feel like I’m not doing the performance justice as I’m not using many superlatives here when, as a rendition of an album and then compilation of hits goes, it was as professional and accomplished as you’ll ever encounter. If there is a live album to come from this it’s going to be phenomenal, with “Hope Street”, “Forgotten Ground”, and fan favourite “Just the One” the high points of the album tracks.
As KKs spewed out into the cold wet Wolverhampton air the audience en masse, early enough to hit a local pub, a part of me smiled to myself as I remembered old friends from venues now long gone who I’d danced with to these tunes when I wore a younger man’s face. Photographs and music are gateways to the past, and it had been my genuine pleasure to travel back 30+ years for the evening in this company of souls.
And the best thing? In 2 days time I get to do it all again, same place, same time, for Drowning Pool and more memories to be relived! See you at the bar, people!
