Level 42 give Lessons in Love at Villa
I KNOW what slap-bass guitar is now!
For the first time in a long time, aged 32, I was possibly the youngest person at a gig.
And although I recognised Running in the Family and Lessons in Love, I have to admit to being a bit ignorant when it comes to some 80s chart toppers – including Level 42.
However, having read about the band and then interviewing lead singer and bass guitarist Mark King I soon became fascinated in the 'slap-bass' he was famous for.
I love the bass guitar – if I had an ounce of musical talent in me it would definitely be my chosen instrument.
And so when I finally got to see Mark do his thing live on stage I was in awe.
During our interview, he explained that he'd started out as a drummer and although he somehow ended up playing guitar in the band, he couldn't forget his roots.
He found that he could satisfy his need to drum by smacking the bass strings against the guitar body with his thumb.
With Level 42, Mark, who is from the Isle of Wight, took slap-bass to a whole new audience. It was when he moved to London aged 18, that he bumped into old school friends Boon and Phil Gould and they later met Mike Lindup. The band was formed in 1980. And by 1985, with a string of chart hits, the jazz funk group had conquered the world.
They later disbanded in 1994 and Mark continued with a solo career.
But by 2001 he realised he was going back to the old Level 42 sounds.
He approached old band member Mike Lindup and they reformed Level 42.
Now they are playing a 30th anniversary tour and selling a four-CD compilation box-set.
The tour has included their debut performance in the Isle of Man.
'It's about time we came, it only took 30 years!' shouted Mark from the Villa stage.
He joked: 'I'm from the Isle of Wight so I understand your problems. We all look the same too!'
The frontman was full of good humour – the banter flowed as easily as the rifts.
You knew it was going to be an upbeat show when Mark first came on stage and turned his guitar on. Its neck lit up green and red like the Blackpool Tower. He then swapped it for a guitar with different coloured lights.
The gig started off as a somewhat conservative affair with people sitting or cautiously bopping on their toes.
But as the band went through their back catalogue the sea of heads writhed with more and more vigour.
By the time they had unleashed The Sun Goes Down (Living it Up) and Lessons in Love those sitting down quietly had risen and dared themselves to get on the dance floor and really let loose.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Saturday 04 February 2012
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