A Lazy Sunday Afternoon Matinee with Mark Chadwick from The Levellers
One of the UK's most successful songwriters, Mark Chadwick, has co-written 20 chart singles and 6 Top 40 albums (including a Number 1) as part of the Levellers, the band he has fronted for over 25 years.Still going strong, the Levellers are festival favourites and have cemented their cherished status with headline performances at Glastonbury, Isle Of Wight, Cambridge Folk Festival, Bestival and Boomtown and many European and UK events and in 2003 they successfully created their own annual Beautiful Days Festival which takes place in August at Escot Park in Devon.
During this time Mark has released two solo albums 'All the Pieces' and 'Moment' and his upfront and personal solo performance will see him play a mixture of material from these albums
Only 60 Seated Tickets Available!
Recent review at Warrington Irish Club Friday 5th May 2023
In 1994 the 'Levellers' performed on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury to a reported 300,000 people. It's the biggest Glasto crowd to date…and tonight Mark Chadwick, the iconic frontman of the Levellers, performs an intimate, stripped-down acoustic set at Warrington Irish Club (words you think you'll never hear yourself say!). Ok, it's the stuff of dreams for us, live music fans, and unsurprisingly it's sold out. There's a real buzz in the air tonight, a real sense that this is the gig that's gonna go off. It's all standing tonight, so dancing is guaranteed.
Our venue is packed to the rafters now and after chatting to several fans I find out that people are willing to travel from all around the UK to see him. He arrives on stage, brimming with smiles, a vision of merriment, and after a quick "hello" it's on with his set.
It instantly feels good as he fills the stage with his cheery disposition. Mark is so natural up there and his stage presence is huge; he's very likeable, and interacts genuinely throughout the performance, exclaiming "Let's all get drunk and sing songs about love", to which a huge cheer goes up and people are instantly dancing. The feels are joyful, and very high vibrational; it's fun-filled, laid back, 'good time' and it's going down super well! A lively performance, with foot tapping, lots of 'hey's' and 'ho's' and real folk sounds. The atmosphere is brilliant; it's reminiscent of cosy pub backroom singalongs where all are welcome and everyone joins in. Animation, liveliness and vigour are brought in abundance. Mark is smashing it!
Songs are familiar, well-loved, some exuberant… a celebration of what's good in life…others are more heartfelt and soulful. The vocal is on point, very distinctive, earthy and loud, but with a full-bodied, honey-like sound dripping from every word. The sound is one of flux, bolstered, poetic, a swelling of guitar strings, expansive. It pokes fun at times, light-hearted and jovial, but positive in its message and in the feeling it conveys.
As a crowd, we're right there with him from the off, and in what must be a first for the Irish Club we have a moshpit of sorts…a wave of dancing, swaying arms and jigging ripples and spreads afar into every corner of our venue, its energy enveloping us in its warm, cheery embrace. It evokes sunshine and cider, orchards and fields, rolling hillsides and blue skies – it's real food for the soul and it's impossible not to smile or to be seduced by this sound. Such an enthusiastic and energetic performance… you can see – no, feel – the passion Mark has for performing, for songwriting and for ensuring a good time is had by all.
A full set, brimming with Levellers hits, and an added encore is performed. It's been heartwarming, joyous and such an amazing energy. One of the best acoustic gigs I've attended. Mark Chadwick brought it all: performance, musicality, an exceptional voice, but above all a wonderful sense of fun and nostalgia – on a miserable, wet Friday night he managed to make sunshine through his music, which we all basked in appreciatively.
Mark, what a stellar set you brought us! Thank you, and I look forward to your next visit to Warrington and a cheery cider or two!
Words; Janet Harding
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