Welcome to the official site of Level 42. This is where you'll find the latest official information on what the group is up to, new releases, and tour information.
LATEST RELEASES: Level 42 – 30th Anniversary Tour DVD, Living It Up (30th Anniversary 4 CD Box Set), Live in Holland 2009 (DVD & 2 CD set), Guaranteed (2 CD set) and Forever Now (2 CD set) are now available. Click here to visit our online shop.
Mark King, singer from Level 42, walked over broken glass and hot coals in Newport on Saturday, May 5, to raise money for the Beaulieu House respite centre.
Stephanie Thorburn’s review of Mark King & Friends at Ronnie Scott’s from March is now available in the new May issue of Record Collector, Issue 401.
Level 42’s Mark King and friends delivered a high-octane set combining formidable jazz/funk from his solo catalogue, with Mark’s loquacious satire, plus some improvisational treats and new material. Complete with a three-piece horn section, the night opened with The Essential, featuring Nichol Thomson on trombone. Highlights included the Latino groove of There Is A Dog, and the macabre, Herbie Hancock-influenced Throwing Sevens.
The homage to HH’s virtuosity continued with an instrumental Headhunt, followed by Bossa Nostra and AT’s, a song reminiscent of L42’s Micro-kid. King’s dexterous slap bass complemented Mike Lindup and Gary Husband on keys, while brother Nathan was on guitar and Sean Freeman effusive on sax, Pete Biggin’s unobtrusive sticks driving the band toward rhythmic heights as the set closed with Cream’s classic I Feel Free. An evening of musical maestros whose jazz/rock fusion reigns supreme.
The Level 42 Bass Book is the perfect companion to The Mark King Bass Book, which contains all of bassist Mark King’s finest instrumental pieces and bass solos. The Level 42 Bass Book collects the band’s best-loved songs, including hits such as ‘Lessons in Love’, ‘Something About You’, ‘To Be With You Again’, ‘The Chinese Way’ and ‘Children Say’. The book also features popular ‘bass-heavy’ album tracks such as ‘The Machine Stops’, ‘Almost There’, ‘You Can’t Blame Louis’ and ‘True Believers’.
The book contains the following songs:
Almost There
Are You Hearing? (What I Hear)
Autumn (Paradise is Free)
Children Say
Eyes Waterfalling
Follow Me (Live)
Hot Water (Live)
Kansas City Milkman
Lessons in Love
Love Games
Love Meeting Love
Running in the Family
Something About You
Starchild
The Chinese Way
The Machine Stops
The Sun Goes Down (Livin’ it Up)
To Be With You Again
True Believers
Turn It On
You Can’t Blame Louis
Level 42s Mark King will be braving a walk of fire for Beaulieu House on Saturday 5th May
Mark King will walk across a footpath of hot embers to help raise money for Beaulieu House on Saturday 5 May in St Thomas’ Square in Newport. The event will also see a path of broken glass laid down for people to walk across in the name of charity.
Beaulieu House is a respite centre based in Newport that provides support for children with severe learning disabilities or health issues.
Elaine Cesar from Isle of Wight Council’s events team organises the walking festival and said “It is very pleasing to see Mark King supporting the fire walk at the opening event to help raise money for such a good cause.
“Perhaps we should get all his relatives there as well, because then when he crosses the hot embers he will be ‘Running in the Family’ and when finished, it will be ‘All Over Now’!”
Mark King said “I am thrilled to have been asked to officially launch the 2012 Isle of Wight Walking Festival, and what an evening of fun filled terror awaits!
“I cannot think of a better way to spend the evening on 5 May, so please come along and lets see how much money we can raise for Beaulieu House.”
The Isle of Wight Walking Festival 2012 will be the 14th year of the event.
Woohoo! The band is going home to play the Isle of Wight Radio Jubilee Party on June 4th in the grounds of Northwood House at Cowes on the Isle of Wight in aid of Beaulieu House.
