Levellers release new single ‘Generation Fear’

The Levellers have released the brand new single ‘Generation Fear’, taken from their upcoming studio album Peace, which will be released on the 14th August via On The Fiddle recordings. Pre-order the album here.

Written during the album recording process, the track evolved as a full band collaboration and its immediacy comes from a lot of the band laying their parts down in one take.

With its powerful title, ‘Generation Fear’ reaches out to those who don’t feel they’ve created any problems yet now live in fear amongst the division and differences in the world. The track reminds us that we need to rise above humanity’s disregard for the world and transcend the hatred spreading across society, and particularly virulent on social media.

Bassist Jeremy Cunningham comments, “’Generation Fear’ is all about the low level fear people have about their position in the world, how they relate to their neighbours and other people, older and younger. The lyrics then move on to the bigger worries of global militarism and climate change.”

‘Generation Fear’ follows the singles ‘Calling Out’ and ‘Food Roof Family’, and the limited video streams of other tracks from the album.

Peace arrives almost eight years since the Brighton band’s last album of original material, 2012’s Static On The Airwaves, and 30 years since they announced themselves with A Weapon Called The Word. A very timely yet reflective collection, Peace is an album about the state of the world and of the band’s mind and its 11 electrifying songs are a charged reaction to a world that seems to be teetering on the edge of madness and self-destruction.

“It’s an aspirational title,” says Levellers singer/guitarist Mark Chadwick. “We’re searching for peace. I’m not a religious man, but it feels like the devil is walking the earth right now, but that doesn’t mean there’s no hope.”

Over the years, the band – completed by Jon Sevink (fiddle), Charlie Heather (drums), Simon Friend  (singer/guitarist) and Matt Savage (keyboards) – have worn many masks; most self-made, some imposed upon them. But while their status has evolved over the decades, the basic humanity underpinning their music has remained constant.

The fire that fueled them 30 years ago has never extinguished and now with Peace, that fire burns brighter than ever

About Ant May

I spend half my life at gigs or festivals and the other half writing the reviews and editing photos, and somehow find time for a full time job too. Who needs sleep - I've got coffee.