One of the hardest working live acts, The Levellers are heading to Blackburn on June 17 for an acoustic performance. We spoke to bassist Jeremy Cunningham.

THE show may be billed as an acoustic one but don't expect The Levellers to let their audience off lightly when they come to Blackburn later this month.

"Oh it can still get pretty mental," said bassist Jeremy Cunningham.

"Usually in the second half of the show everyone is up and dancing."

The Levellers have been on the road virtually non-stop for the past 18 years bringing their own brand of politicised folk rock to venues and festivals around the country.

They started performing acoustic gigs a couple of years ago and they proved an immediate success.

"Initially we did it to see if it would attract new fans to our shows.

"The first one we did was at the South Bank Theatre in London which brought in a whole new audience, many of whom had never even heard of us," he laughed.

"I remember after the show we thought it had gone really well and then the theatre manager came in and said that we had only lost about 20 per cent of the audience."

There won't be any danger of the audience leaving before the end at King George's Hall on June 17 as The Levellers legendary live shows show no signs of waning.

"We can't afford to sit at home and do nothing," said Jeremy.

"We are all quite self destructive people and touring keeps us occupied.

"If we had too much time on our hands we'd all end up in a mess.

"At least on tour it's an organised mess!

"On tour we do deliver every night, even with an acoustic set.

"It is a reciprocal thing with the audience. The more intense we get, the more the audience reacts.

"Even at the end of an acoustic gig the fans will be soaked in sweat."

The Levellers have long been recognised as pioneering the way for independent bands.

They were one of the first groups to fully appreciate the power of the internet.

"We basically came out of the traveller scene with a DIY ethic to our music.

"As soon as we found out about the internet that was it," said Jeremy.

"We were very left-wing, there was the loony left and then there was us who had dropped off the edge.

"We believed in communication without censorship and there was the internet which allowed just that."

Now The Levellers website is regarded as one of the leading band websites in the country and the fan base has given it a life of its own.

"Most of our income comes from downloads and merchandising," said Jeremy.

"We try to keep ticket prices as low as possible so fans can come out and see us."

The Levellers play King George's Hall, Blackburn, on Saturday, June 17. Details from the box office on 01254 582582.