Saturday was an emotional night to say the least, first and foremost being that Frank Turner’s gig would prove to be the last at Level III for the foreseeable future. Despite having various names posted above the door, the venue itself has been the Mecca for Swindon’s music scene for the last five decades. In a post on Facebook, the venue’s owners said: “Despite our imminent closure there’s no guarantee we’ll be closed for good and Level III and The Rolleston may well live to fight another day. Let’s hope for this town’s arts, music and nightlife scene that it does.” [caption id=“attachment_34594” align=“aligncenter” width=“419”]
Frank Turner at Level III. Photo credit: © The Dude Abides Photography[/caption] Second would be Mike Barham’s heartfelt tribute with friend and flute player Rory Sherman when singing Never Forgotten, a song dedicated to Rory’s recently deceased mother which was originally written for his late brother. Barham’s set overall embodied his charm and charisma and Never Forgotten was no exception; a touching tribute which drew the audience to a respectful silence. Thirdly, my heart went out to the two chaps behind the bar taking on the mass horde lining up for rounds of limited drinks, at a bar which looked like the aftermath of a brawl in a midwest tavern. Barham urged the crowd to send Level III out in an appropriate manner by drinking the bar dry, and needless to say everyone obliged. [caption id=“attachment_34606” align=“aligncenter” width=“413”]
Frank Turner at Level III. Photo credit: © The Dude Abides Photography[/caption] And finally the unmistakable hysteria of fangirls amongst the crowd, savouring every last moment of Frank and Level III with their iPhones aptly recording the sets (if you weren’t able to get tickets, probably because they sold out in 7 minutes, there’s bound to be footage available somewhere). [caption id=“attachment_34613” align=“aligncenter” width=“297”]
Mike Barham. Photo credit: Nick Padmore[/caption] Warming up the crowd Mike Barham came belting on the stage with all his finest qualities, which always make his sets impassioned and unadorned. Accompanied by his faithful acoustic guitar, Barham’s voice has a remarkable range which added an incredible raw edge to Level III’s somewhat desolate stage. As always his set wouldn’t be complete without egging on the audience to get involved which descended into a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Danger Zone. [caption id=“attachment_35214” align=“aligncenter” width=“366”]
Sean McGowan by Ben Morse[/caption] Next up was our second singer-song writer of the evening from Southampton, Seán McGowan. I had an instant like towards Seán. His tone and style resonated fond memories of my teenage years when indie bands were actually good, singing about realism and generational struggles. Despite being “Raised on a diet of The Clash, The Jam, Specials, Billy Bragg and other such politically-charged, punk-ignited British pop”, as Seán has previously stated, his music arguably cites similarities to that of The Metros and Jack Peñate in a really well executed and self-assertive manner. [caption id=“attachment_34602” align=“aligncenter” width=“417”]
Frank Turner at Level III. Photo credit: © The Dude Abides Photography[/caption] Finally ‘the moment you’ve all been waiting for’ leapt on stage, and to fans’ delight Turner wasted no time in getting started with arguably some of his most prominent tracks including Get It Right and If I Ever Stray. Before drawing to a near close with The Way I Tend To Be, Frank threw in one of his latest songs There She Is later followed by Queen’s always appreciated, and inevitable sing-a-long classic, Somebody To Love. Like Barham and McGowan, Turner’s developed a strong relationship within Swindon’s music scene having played at Level III when it was formerly The Furnace, as well as Riffs Bar and The Vic. Judged by the sea of Frank Turner tees, it was clear to see that Swindon’s music goers reciprocated the the fond memories. Barham, McGowan, and Turner were the perfect trio to hit the stage at Level III. Their music was not all too dissimilar with a safe continuity of acoustic singer-song writers, but they each encapsulated their own style which resulted in a pleasantly varied evening. [caption id=“attachment_34607” align=“aligncenter” width=“428”]
Frank Turner at Level III. Photo credit: © The Dude Abides Photography[/caption] With each performance it was very apparent that each artist had a story to tell about Level III, and the ambiguity that is Swindon’s music scene. Although it was clear that the closure of Level III was not well-received, the evening came to close with high spirit and a Corbyn-style speech of empowerment for the future of Swindon’s music scene.
