A Beautiful Day at the Seaside came to Scarborough Spa courtesy of JS Promotions, and delivered a four-band foray into hope and unity.  Jess Silk, The Bar Stool Preachers, Pop Will Eat Itself and the Levellers performed on Saturday 12th July; Jenkem Revolt frontman James Koppert reviewed the event, with photos by Yorkshire Coast Gigs Director, David Ruston.

In the 1600’s, the leveller’s movement forged a culture of dissent, providing an alternative to the status quo. It is fitting then, that while Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre provided the smooth bubble-gum pop rock of radio darling’s McFly and Busted, the Spa Complex hosted the Levellers. A band who have had phenomenal success, ignoring the mainstream and providing a voice from the alternative while still swimming in the mainstream. Let us not forget that this band headlined the pyramid stage at Glastonbury while being steadfast in playing folk-driven indie rock songs. On paper, a band you would expect to see in a small pub or little folk festivals instead of comfortably headlining the main hall at The Spa, enduring in their popularity.

First though, was opener Jess Silk. I was initially nervous: Levellers fans are notorious for only being interested in watching the Levellers. I once did a Hip Hop set, providing freestyles which had, at the worst, left people nodding impressed at my freestyling the world over. When I did it in front of a Levellers crowd they responded like I had just insulted their granny. Thankfully Jess had no such issues and it is a credit to her ability as a performer. Jess has recently toured with Scarborough’s very own Joe Solo, and similarly delivers a distinctive brand of punk-inspired folk rock. It is just her and a guitar, her raspy bellow of a wonderful voice that can both sooth and boom, all driven by her strong social politics. There are no pretences, posturing or posing, just a woman, a guitar and songs. Yet she filled the entire hall with her music, worthy of compare to Billy Bragg, and with a nod to Frank Turner. At one point members of the audience on the floor all linked arms in a circle, embracing the message of cohesion and unity Jess creates with her message. She is a true force on her studio albums and I was impressed with the way she conveyed this live, to a big audience.

Similar in messaging are Brighton’s The Bar Stool Preachers. The band played the same room earlier this year as part of the Scarborough Punk Festival. They fitted in well on that loud bill, and they equally do not feel out of place supporting the Levellers. Tom McFaull (son of Colin McFaull of Oi! movement legends, Cock Sparrer) was spotted heading backstage with a pot of honey before the set due to being remarkably under the weather. Like a true professional the show must go on and the only noticeable difference was in his spoken vocals in between songs. This is an experienced band. You can tell they have played sweaty dives as well as having to hold their own in support slots in big USA stadiums. They play like they are headlining every single show with plenty of movement and obligatory crowd clap-along, knowing how to not just play songs but put on a show. On record, for me, the band can feel a little too polished, losing some of the force of the songs, but live, their punk and ska is upbeat and anthemic and there were plenty in the crowd who had come to see just them and will do so again and again, after.

I had reservations about Midland misfits Pop Will Eat Itself. To me the band were a time capsule; pioneers of crossover but whose sound stayed in the 90’s. Senser carried the sound on with a harder edge, and the Judgement Night soundtrack demonstrated what can happen when rock and metal crosses over with Hip Hop acts in a less jagged, more seamless way. Bands like Rage Against The Machine and Downset made albums that still would sound fresh if they were released today. To my mind, PWEI had just seemed to stay in the 90’s in a dated, not retro, way. My neighbour Jim and many others were all for it though, and there were a lot of fans here tonight who were happy to relive their past as the band blasted through favourites from their albums – and you know what? They absolutely killed it. This was political dance rock with a huge dose of fun. They were loving it, we were loving it. Then the group announced tracks like Disco Misfits from their forthcoming LP and it sounded modern and relevant. Their sound can evolve, and what is more, it was some of the most anthemic music of the night.

Remember, many Levellers fans love just the Levellers and although the place was pretty busy all night, there was a huge influx as soon as Levellers took to the stage, with a whole building roaring their admiration with a deep anticipation. Levellers have a charm that is down to their sincerity both musically and in their message. Their message, when delivered by other bands, is somewhat po-faced or with a scowl, but Levellers do it upliftingly with a smile. As Hope Street suggests, it is protest music with hope and it is protest music you can dance to. They are also anthemic and more importantly, timeless. I was surprised that most people in the room were probably over 40 in an overwhelming majority. Maybe the band have not chosen to conquer social media to stay relevant to a younger audience and maybe they don’t need to, as there were mosh pits, jigs and singalongs which would rival any youthful crowd. The band and audience alike were here to have fun and it was almost as entertaining watching the venue staff playing a game called “is it a mosh pit or a fight?” as it was watching the band (FYI, it was always just a mosh pit, it’s a Levellers crowd). Levellers played all the hits you would expect them to, rejoining for an encore of another three anthems, and you feel surprised they can play for well over an hour and you know most of their songs from MTV and the Radio. This was billed as a ‘beautiful day by the seaside’ but it was more than that. It was protest music wrapped up in a palpable feeling of unity, hope and happiness. Something that Levellers do in abundance.

Links: Levellers : Bar Stool Preachers : Pop Will Eat Itself : Jess Silk