Mark Chadwick of the Levellers, chillaxing and maxing
Mark Chadwick of the Levellers has been playing Glastonbury for 20 years, on and off. He tells Paul MacInnes why both the festival and his band have survived changing times (it's to do with mixing politics and hedonism...)
Glastonbury has been a real constant for us as a band. It's been there for us over the years and we've been there for it too. I don't know whether we evoke the spirit of the festival more than any other band but we have been playing Glasto for 20 years, on and off. This year's show is our eighth.
I've been coming since 1981 not as a player, as a punter, and even in 1982 there were people going, "Oh, it's sold out". But Glastonbury does have a different ethos to other festivals. Yes, it's changed, but the world has changed too. Glastonbury maintains its integrity to the best degree it can. I'm very supportive of it. I've been critical of it in the past ... like in 1992 when Michael Eavis cut off the travellers' field. They were nomads, they were refugees from the law, and Michael put the kybosh on it. I got very cross at the time, but I've spoken to him since and I realise he didn't have a choice. Now I run a festival myself I know how difficult it can be.
The thing that keeps Glastonbury unique is the spirit of the green fields. It's the communal, non-sponsorship, let's-have-a-party atmosphere. There are so many festivals around, there are billions of them, and they all exist for commercial purposes. Glastonbury's different; it exists for cultural purposes. Yes, Vince Power has invested in it, but anything that survives for this long has got to be able to adapt and change. It's got to be open-minded and broad-minded and deal with the world.
We're the same as a band. Yeah, we'll make mistakes, but we'll correct them. It's about how you reflect the world. Our latest record, Letters from the Underworld, is a direct reflection of the world right now and that's a big thing for us. We've managed to tell 10 stories about the modern way and suggest a solution. It's only taken us 20 years to work it out.
Politics is a part of festivals, but I love the dichotomy of it all, that it goes hand in hand with hedonism. There's nothing worse than walking around at 6.30 in the morning at Glasto and seeing all the monsters stumbling about, it's scary, especially when you're one of them. But I love it, it's a release, it has to be. This is not the real world. We can come here, learn, discuss new ideas, but let's not forget: it's a fantasy land.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion