The Levellers

The Brighton five-piece are much maligned by their image and affinity with 'soap dodgers' - that is to say neo-hippies and new age travellers. London's Time Out magazine admitted that they had lumbered the band with the label 'smelly old crusties' and that there was much more to them than that.

Too right there is... They have a very down to earth attitude toward the music industry and have for years now been the champions of the alternative music festival scene. When they first materialised, back in 1988, they were seen as the missing link between the Clash and the Pogues.

Mark believes the band's attitude has changed little in the past decade and a half and feels the members are possibly closer now than ever. "I think the world around us has changed more than we have oursleves. We've stuck to our guns. We've cut our own groove throughout these last years."

They remain prolific tourers and have retained their substantial fanbase 15 years on. They have toured throughout the world, playing as many as 200 gigs a year sometimes in rather obscure territories such as Estonia and Japan. They also play as alter-ego band Drunk In Public - essentially an acoustic Levellers - who this year plan to perform in even more obscure locations: Shetland, Orkney and Scilly Isles.

All of the band prefer being on stage to being in the studio and make the most of the touring experience. Says Mark, "We've become quite cultural. After a while, when you've been to the same place four or five times you've got friends there."

The band have released seven studio album, including the platinum-selling Levelling The Land and the number one album Zeitgeist and have had more hits than most people realise. They're one of those bands where you know the songs, you even sing along, but perhaps didn't realise it was The Levellers - think One Way Of Life, Just The One, Hope Street and What A Beautiful Day.

The band has always approached their work from a slightly alternative angle. In 1994 they bought a huge building in Brighton called the Metway, which now forms their creative base. Their offices, studio and On The Fiddle fanclub is run from here. Other bands are also based there, along with producers, managers and promoters.

The Metway sessions were launched two years ago - providing free studio time for local bands - Bands including Electrelane, Electric Soft Parade, British Sea Power and Cleaklake.

"We've put our money where our mouth is, we built a studio in Brighton where young bands can come and record for nothing. We do it as a lifestyle decision," says Mark.

Last year saw the band release a new album Green Blade Rising. It's sees a return to their up-tempo optimism and Alan Scott returns to the producer's chair. It has already produced live favourites in Wild As Angels, Pretty Target and Come On.

"It was all written very quickly, written in about a month, with eight months recording," Mark explains. "The idea was to make it as uptempo and in our genre as we possibly could. People in bands always try to go outside their genre, which is a mistake - people like you because you sound like you do.

"Previous to that (Green Blade Rising) was a very different album. It was acclaimed by the media, but our fans hated it. We wanted to make a record that we could play live - trying to get a message across in as anthemic and joyous a way as possible."

The band very much runs as a democrarcy. " I do the writing, Charlie the drumer will take care of some of the finances, John will take care of our buildings, Jeremy takes care of the artwork. Phil, the manager, will keep us all sailing in the same direction as much as possible," Mark clarifies.

They are a band who have matured over the years and value their lifestyle. Mark is very clear on the band's ethos and how they reached this point. "The wisdom of being in your mid-30s, I suppose. You think hang on this is great, we've cracked it, we have a really good time. We don't have the pressure of other musicians that want success. It's about the ideas behind the music, it's not about seeking fame for fame's sake which appears to be a pandemic problem."

How refreshing - down-to-earth, environmentally-friendly, politically aware rockers, who know how to have a good time.

The Levellers play Salisbury City Hall on March 12. Performance: 8pm Tickets: from £15 Box office: 01722 327676. Support for the tour will be provided by Nick Harper.