For an hour this morning over to the Hammersmith Odeon for a set by Level 42 from May 31, 1986.
It occurred to me there was a flurry of Jazz-Funk bands springing up in the mid-1980s – along with everything else going on at the time.
Level 42 had a run from 1980 to 1994 before splitting up and getting back together in 2001. Between then and now they’ve put out some 12 albums and a string of singles and achieved a substantial modicum of success before personal differences and shifts in musical tastes caused the group to disband in 1994. They were considered, by the press, as one of the finest instrumental bands of the 80s and aside from their work as Level 42 also made a name for themselves as a successful studio band.
This concert comes from the period many considered to be their best year. 1986 saw the band achieve a goodly degree of International recognition from their breakthrough album World Machine, which came out in 1985. It also brought the band their first (and only) top 10 single in the U.S., Something About You which was also a major hit in New Zealand, Italy and Canada.
On 20 and 21 September 2013, Level 42 (joined by an expanded brass section), performed three new songs at London’s Indigo O2 Arena – “Where’s Yo’ Head At”, “Too Much Time”, and “Sirens”. All of these appeared on the band’s first new release for seven years, the six-song studio EP “Sirens” (released on 31 October 2013, and the first output from the band’s new self-owned label Level 42 Records). Mixed by the American DJ John Morales, the EP also contained “Mind On You”, “My Independence Day” and “Build Myself a Rocket” (with King’s daughter Marlee providing the backing vocals on the last of these tracks). Musically, it built on the production approach of Retroglide while allying the band with contemporary developments in R&B and dance electronica.
On 3 December 2013, the band announced ‘The Sirens Tour’ – a 30 date tour, starting in October 2014 and taking in the UK, Netherlands, Germany and Italy. In the summer of 2014, the band performed at a number of festivals across Europe including headline performances at Let’s Rock Bristol and Rochester Castle.
In 2015, the band appeared at a number of UK and European festivals headlining at ‘Let’s Rock The Moor’ and ‘Carfest’ concerts. They also played two nights at the Indigo2 in London where the band once again featured a larger brass section consisting of Dan Carpenter (trumpet) and Nicol Thomson (trombone) as well as regular saxophonist Sean Freeman.
In 2016, Level 42 performed at a number of festivals across the UK and Europe as well as in Curaçao, Chile and Argentina before embarking on a UK, Netherlands and Scandinavian tour in order to promote the “Sirens II” EP.
On 4 July 2019, Level 42 made a rare North American incursion, being the band to perform the first concert to launch the week long Festival d’été de Québec (Quebec City Summer Festival).
Recorded by the venerable BBC Radio 1 for their In Concert series on May 31, 1996.
If they don’t ring a bell, crank it up and check ’em out – can’t hurt.
