Gloria, Cologne, Germany14th November 2024
Levellers - “2024 Tour” - Support: The Lottery Winners
The LEVELLERS are still going strong after more than 35 years in the business. The English band has always been regarded as excellent and one of the best live bands around and wanted to prove this in the fall of 2024 as part of a very small tour with just six dates. There was no current studio album to support, so the way was paved for a “Best Of” show peppered with all the songs that have stood the test of time with audiences, some of them for decades. We were there at the packed Gloria in Cologne. The LEVELLERS last made an appearance in this beautiful venue almost exactly two years ago.
The Lottery Winners
The support slot was filled by an Indie Pop band from Manchester: THE LOTTERY WINNERS. The quartet, who formed in 2008 and have been playing with the same line-up ever since, have already released a few albums. Their latest album ‘Anxiety Replacement Therapy’ reached number #1 in the UK album charts in 2023 and attracted attention with guest appearances by SHAUN RYDER, FRANK TURNER and BOY GEORGE. Even the first few seconds of the performance were special because THE LOTTERY WINNERS didn’t start with the first song ‘Worry’ straight away. Instead, it took some time before singer Thom Rylance sang the first lines into the microphone. Instead, he first got up close and personal with the stunned audience, disappeared backstage again, only to reappear - as requested - to much more applause.
This paved the way for the following 45 minutes. The whole performance turned out to be a highly entertaining event, with singer Thom Rylance repeatedly causing hearty laughter in the audience, drifting off again and again between and even during the songs and seeking contact with the audience in his very special way. It’s easy to find out that this kind of entertainment is typical of THE LOTTERY WINNERS by searching YouTube. It was all the more surprising that Thom Rylance not only put a smile on the faces of the audience, but that bassist Katie Lloyd was also amused by every joke her frontman made, even though she knew a lot of the funny lines.
With all the show on offer, it should not go unnoticed that most of the songs presented are great indie pop gems with an absolutely catchy tune quality and were wonderfully performed by the musically gifted band. And as much fun as the band had on stage, singer Thom Rylance in particular dealt with the problems that accompanied him as a child with ADHD from early childhood to adulthood. THE LOTTERY WINNERS will return to Germany as headliners next spring, and later in the year the quartet will support none other than ROBBIE WILLIAMS on his European tour, which will then take the band back to Germany. If you haven’t seen them yet and just want to be entertained, the band is highly recommended.
Setlist
01. Worry
02. Meaning Of Life
03. Letter To Myself
04. Much Better
05. Not Alone
06. Start Again
07. Burning House
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Light: 5
Sound: 9
Total: 8.5 / 10
Levellers
It was now up to the LEVELLERS to outshine the performance of the outstanding support act. And the men around singer Mark Chadwick took on this job as a matter of course, starting shortly after 9pm with ‘The Riverflow’, ‘Fifteen Years’, ‘Battle Of The Beanfield’ and ‘England My Home’ with a series of bangers that were sure to knock the audience’s socks off. What a start! Only immediately afterwards did things get a little more up-to-the-minute with ‘Food Roof Family’ and ‘Truth Is’, otherwise their masterful album ‘Levelling The Land’ clearly dominated the setlist - in principle, every song from the album with which the LEVELLERS really took off over 30 years ago was performed. And of course ‘One Way’ was not to be missed. The song, which singer Mark Chadwick now only calls ‘The Single’, was placed in the middle of the setlist.
And just like 30 years ago, their roadie in disguise and make-up was once again on stage for the intro to the song to set the mood for the following song with his legendary performance on the didgeridoo. The LEVELLERS would not have this reputation as a fantastic live band if their members could not convince live. And they proved that in Cologne, too. Bassist Jeremy Cunningham once again played himself into a frenzy. He often just smiled with his eyes closed as he played his parts on his bass. The musician, who has also made a name for himself as an artist, is an impressive presence. On the other side of the stage, it was the slender Jon Sevink who enriched the music with his violin playing. Dancing and smiling, he also presented a beautiful picture.
And then there was Dan Donnelly. The guitarist and singer first joined the LEVELLERS a few years ago to replace Simon Friend, who was in poor health. In 2022 he finally became a permanent member of the LEVELLERS and now in 2024 he looked as if he had never done anything else in his life. As if it were a matter of course, he also took over the vocal parts that were Simon’s job in earlier years. In the end, it remains to be said: The LEVELLERS are still a force to be reckoned with in 2024. Together with THE LOTTERY WINNERS as support, the evening turned out to be an absolute concert highlight of the year. We can only hope that the LEVELLERS will be with us for a long time to come. When you witness how much fun the men still have on stage, you can be hopeful that this likeable band’s journey is far from over.
Setlist
01. The Riverflow
02. Fifteen Years
03. Battle of the Beanfield
04. England My Home
05. Food Roof Family
06. Truth Is
07. The Road
08. Calling Out
09. The Boatman
10. Jig
11. One Way
12. Another Man’s Cause
13. Sell Out
14. Men-an-Tol
15. Carry Me
16. Dirty Davey
17. The Cholera Well
18. Beautiful Day
19. Four Boys Lost
20. Far From Home
21. Liberty Song
Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Light: 7
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
All Pictures by André Wilms
Comments powered by CComment