Simon Friend (Levellers)
Simon Friend | |
|---|---|
 Simon Friend with The Levellers at Olgas Rock in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Simon Friend |
| Born | May 17, 1967 Upper Norwood, Greater London, England |
| Origin | Brighton, Sussex, U.K |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1990 – present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | The Levellers |
| Website | www |
Simon Friend is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the guitarist of the British band The Levellers. Friend began his career in music as a roadie for the band New Model Army. He later turned down the opportunity to become the band's guitarist, instead opting to join The Levellers in 1990 in the same role, replacing Alan Miles[1]. The band enjoyed notable success following his arrival, once being considered the most popular Indie band in Britain, and their popularity culminating in their record breaking headlining act at Glastonbury Festival in 1994. The band have since produced seven Top 40 albums and 14 Top 40 singles.[2]
Friend plays a wide range of instruments including the; guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica. He has made use of all of these instruments in his work with the Levellers[3]. The majority of albums produced by the band include vocals by Friend, who either provides backing vocals to frontman Mark Chadwick, or provides the lead vocals himself including on the song "The Boatman", from the album Levelling the Land [4].
The 1990 and onwards Levellers line-up of Friend, Mark Chadwick, Jeremy Cunningham, Jon Sevink, and Charlie Heather continues to this day (with Matt Savage later joining on keyboards). The Levellers were discovered by Derek Green in 1990(the man responsible for signing the Sex Pistols) and signed to independent label China Records.[5]
The following year, they released Levelling The Land which was a massive success, entering the charts at number 14 and eventually going platinum. The single One Way, despite not bothering the Top 40, became a live favourite for years to come. Levelling The Land is often cited as an all time classic amongst people who were students or travellers in the early 1990s.[6]
Height[edit]
At the height of their popularity in 1994, The Levellers headlined Glastonbury Festival, they are believed to have performed to Glastonbury's biggest-ever crowd when they headlined the Pyramid on the Friday night in 1994. With no steel fence yet having been erected to keep out gatecrashers, as many as 300,000 people are thought to have seen the show.[7]
In 1995 The Levellers's most commercially successful album Zeitgeist was released and reached #1 in the UK album charts. Two singles were released from the album – "Hope St.", which reached #12 in the UK single charts, and "Fantasy", which reached 16. The third single released from this album took the Levellers to their first Top of the Pops appearance, playing the tongue-in-cheek drinking anthem "Just the One" whilst dressed in tuxedos. "Just the One" was specially re-recorded for the single release, with The Clash's frontman and long-time Levellers hero Joe Strummer guesting on honky tonk piano. It reached No. 12 in the UK.
Among their most successful singles are "What a Beautiful Day", which became the first single release from Mouth to Mouth and reached No. 13 on the UK chart, and "This Garden", which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart
Festival[edit]
Growing weary of the existing UK festival scene The Levellers decided to put on a festival of their own. This would be a return - as far as UK legislation would allow - to the earlier festivals that the young Levellers had enjoyed, such as Elephant Fayre. Green Blade Fayre was the title of the first attempt, and was to be held at Bicton Park, East Devon, England in August 2002. Despite the backing of the necessary authorities, an organised local population managed to persuade the East Devon council to reject the licence application.
Nonetheless, in 2003 the Levellers created their own Beautiful Days Festival. The festival is now an annual event, taking place each August at Escot Park, near Fairmile in Devon, England.
Politics[edit]
As with the rest of the band, Friend is self-described as having a left wing view of politics.[8]
Personal Life[edit]
Friend is a proponent of alternative lifestyles and alternative living spaces, and for a time lived on a narrow boat on the Thames. This followed the death of his wife in September 2012[9]. Referring to the Music industry Friend said "To be honest with you I’ve always tried to stay clear of the industry section, cause I’m a musician and I’m a hippie, and I don’t really dig massive corporate things"[10]. Whilst of the modern music industry in particular Friend said "I don’t see it as music really, I see musicians or vocalists are given a platform where they can get a career as a singer, but it’s not music, the stage is a massive karaoke really. I just hope that the underground music still continues as it always has." stating that it was never the intention of the band to go mainstream, and that it just happened rather than being their decision[11].
Asked to choose 3 albums that he would take on a desert island with him, Friend replied; "Songs of Rogue’s Gallery” a collection of Pirate’s songs, ballads and sea chanteys. Led Zeppelin III“ and "Jaqueline du Pre’ doing all Brahm’s versions"[12].
Albums[edit]
The Levellers[edit]
Studio albums
- A Weapon Called the Word (1990)
- Levelling the Land (1991)
- Levellers (1993)
- Zeitgeist (1995)
- Mouth to Mouth (1997)
- Hello Pig (2000)
- Green Blade Rising (2002)
- Truth and Lies (2005)
- Letters from the Underground (2008)
- Static on the Airwaves (2012)
- We the Collective (2018)
References[edit]
- ↑ Ben P Scott (2018-10-7). "INTERVIEW: Mark Chadwick talks about the story of the Levellers". God is in the tv. Archived from the original on 2018-10-4. Retrieved 2018-03-31. Check date values in:
|date=, |archive-date=(help) - ↑ Michael Hann (2018-01-31). "The Levellers: 'I'll rag our Brexiteer fans till they cry – or never come back'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
- ↑ Sarah Corbett-Batson (2013-08-11). "The Levellers (Simon Friend) : Interview". Trebuchet. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-2. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Sarah Corbett-Batson (2013-08-11). "The Levellers (Simon Friend) : Interview". Trebuchet. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-2. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Levellers official website. "TOGETHER ALL THE WAY". The Levellers. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ↑ Levellers official website. "TOGETHER ALL THE WAY". The Levellers. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ↑ Jon Kelly BBC. "How do you headline Glastonbury?". BBC. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
- ↑ Hann, Michael (31 January 2018). "The Levellers: 'I'll rag our Brexiteer fans till they cry – or never come back'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ↑ Sarah Corbett-Batson (2013-08-11). "The Levellers (Simon Friend) : Interview". Trebuchet. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2018-08-2. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ GESSICA PUGLIELLI (2014). "INTERVIEW WITH SIMON FRIEND OF LEVELLERS". REBEL REBEL MUSIC. Archived from the original on
|archive-url=requires|archive-date=(help). Retrieved 2018-08-2. Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ↑ GESSICA PUGLIELLI (2014). "INTERVIEW WITH SIMON FRIEND OF LEVELLERS". REBEL REBEL MUSIC. Archived from the original on
|archive-url=requires|archive-date=(help). Retrieved 2018-08-2. Check date values in:|access-date=(help) - ↑ GESSICA PUGLIELLI (2014). "INTERVIEW WITH SIMON FRIEND OF LEVELLERS". REBEL REBEL MUSIC. Archived from the original on
|archive-url=requires|archive-date=(help). Retrieved 2018-08-2. Check date values in:|access-date=(help)
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