In the late 1980s, a bunch of young radicals on the fringes of the so-called ‘crusty’ traveller movement emerged onto the booming indie music scene with a band that took its name from a 17th century progressive political faction. Inspired both by popular punk bands like The Clash and by the folk acts they'd been hearing on the live circuit, The Levellers developed a fresh, dynamic sound, combining traditional acoustic instruments with electric base, thumping rhythms and a furious rock energy, as well as unapologetically politicised lyrics.

In some ways, it's hard to imagine less likely candidates for mainstream musical success, but something about the frustrated, rebellious spirit of the time combined with their exhilarating live performances enabled them to build a massive audience. Their first album, A Weapon Called The Word (1990), went gold and their second, Levelling The Land (1991), entered the charts at number 14 and eventually went platinum. Twenty-seven years, multiple albums and a documentary film later, The Levellers are still going strong. Though it's been a few years since their last studio album, the band have been continually out on tour, releasing several live records as well as their Greatest Hits.

 What's On caught up with Levellers frontman Mark Chadwick.

“We've been writing and working on new songs since November, and we've been trying some of them out live, but we're not in a hurry to get a new album out,” explains Mark. “We just want to make sure it's something special - there's no point in putting out an average record.”

This summer, the band will be touring several UK festivals, including the Shrewsbury and Moseley Folk Festivals in the Midlands. Earlier in the year, they also performed at Derbyshire's Bearded Theory. Having begun their career with a big following amongst travellers on the free festival scene, and twice gone on to smash records for drawing the biggest ever crowds at Glastonbury's Pyramid and Avalon stages, music festivals have always seemed a natural home for The Levellers.

“They can be really special events,” says Chadwick. “You never know what you're going to get, and quite a lot of the time, you'll find there are people there who've never seen you before, which is great. There's always a buzz from that - when you just play your own gigs, you're always preaching to the converted, to an extent.”

As well as appearing at events across the country, since 2003, the band have also run their own non-commercial Beautiful Days Festival in Devon. The proliferation of music festivals during the last decade or so might have resulted in a rather crowded market place, but enthusiasm for them doesn't appear to have waned.

“People don't seem to mind - they're still going and it's a big business. We sell our festival out without even advertising it, but we're in quite a fortunate position there because it can be risky. Often people think it's a quick way of making money, but to be honest, it's not really a way of making any money at all. Not if you do it properly, anyway - if you don't want to treat people horribly and have terrible infrastructure and bad food and rubbish toilets and herd them around. It's just ripping people off, and long-term that's not a great idea - those kinds of events tend to disappear quite quickly.”

That being said, while the ranks of independent festivals have been growing, it's still the larger, better advertised events that tend to dominate, something also true in other aspects of the music industry. It's hard to get away from the fact that popular music is more managed and manufactured than ever, which poses the question of whether a boundary-pushing, genre-defying, outspoken band like The Levellers would be able to reach as many people if they were starting out today.

“It is difficult now. I mean, it takes money. I appreciate you can just about do all right on your own with the internet and gigging, but to actually reach a wide audience and get really well known does require investment from a record company, and they just don't seem to do that much now. They'll do it for pop music, but they won't really do it for anything else.”

It's perhaps partly down to this shift that there's been a noticeable decline in the number of overtly political and countercultural acts emerging in recent years, at least amongst those achieving widespread recognition. This is despite the fact that our current political landscape is characterised by a similar polarisation to that which prompted a creative backlash in the ’80s and early ’90s.

“There's good music, but the lyrical content I do find generally lacking across the board. You can find it in some British rap music, but not that much. I just find it disappointing. And surprising, actually, because there's plenty of scope. There's a lot to write about. We're living in a very scary world with a lot of injustices right now, and I don't really understand why people aren't singing about it.”

The Levellers' belief in the importance of speaking up for ordinary people ties them in with a long folk tradition that has historically served to give voice to those who might otherwise have been silenced. At the 2011 BBC Radio Two Folk Awards, they received the Roots Award for outstanding contribution to folk music from a grassroots level upwards. Though folk is only one aspect of their distinctive style, which has always resisted easy categorisation, the band have lately been strengthening their connection to the genre, working with Sean Lakeman to produce their albums and collaborating with the likes of Bellowhead and Billy Bragg on new versions of their earlier hits.

“We love folk music - we always have. Back in the day it was a dirty word but it's not any more. But again, folk music is traditionally the music of protest, a kind of descriptive narrative of the times, and I do think that's missing in folk at the moment. It's all very nicey-nicey.”

In 2010, Chadwick also made his solo debut with All The Pieces, following this up with a second album, Moment, in 2014.

“I still feel more at home with the band, to be honest, but I like doing solo stuff. It's just different. It's great getting to work with different musicians after 27 years. And it's freeing - it frees me up to write in a different way. I can be more expressive and personal, I suppose.”

Since recording their last studio album, Static On The Airwaves, in 2012, The Levellers have been the subject of a documentary film directed by Chumbawamba's Dunstan Bruce. Primarily told from the perspective of the charismatic bassist and album artist Jeremy Cunningham, it tells the story of the band's rise to success from 1988 to ’98.

“We thought it was about time, actually! It doesn't cover everything of course - it's not like a typical 'rock-u-mentary'. It's got more of a narrative to it, which makes it a better film. Making it was quite easy really. We gave him complete carte blanche to do whatever he wanted. We didn't want to influence it in any way - so if he saw us as a horrible bunch, that's how we would’ve come across. Fortunately, I think we come across pretty well!”

Today, after more than 25 years in the business, The Levellers continue to inspire new listeners with songs that seem just as important and relevant as ever. During their time together, they've seen a whole generation grow up with their music, and even begin to introduce a new one to the fold.

“It's a very broad church, our audience. As a band I think we're quite unique in that respect. We get everyone from eight-year-olds to 80-year-olds coming along to our gigs. It's really great!”

Levellers play Shrewsbury Folk Festival on Monday 29 August and Moseley Folk Festival on Friday 2 September.