With a brand new music event ‘The Levellers’ homecoming at Hove Park felt less like a standard outdoor gig and more like a communal gathering of Brighton’s musical DNA!. Staging its own mini festival. From the moment The Levellers walked on stage, there was that unmistakable surge of hometown energy amongst the fans, the kind you only get when a band is playing surrounded by people who’ve grown up with their songs as part of the city’s cultural fabric.
The afternoon opened with Essex Punk Duo ‘The Meths’, who set the tone immediately with sharp, melodic edgy set with a socially conscious edge, delivered with the confidence of a band who know exactly how to work a Brighton crowd. Their set was tight, energetic, and full of raw energy that made the early arrivals pay attention.
The sound was punchy and well-balanced for an open-air setup, with the fiddle cutting cleanly through the mix and the rhythm section driving everything forward. “Disorder” landed early and instantly turned the front half of the crowd into a bouncing mass, but it was the deeper “Broken Britain, Broken Brains” and “Look at you”, showcased how tight they are as a live as a unit.
Next on stage was Brakes with some off-Kilter Indie Charm and sharp songwriting. “All Night Disco Party” was an early highlight, its jittery energy bouncing across the park and pulling in listeners who might not have known the band beforehand. “Porcupine or Pineapple” showcased their knack for short, punchy songs that land harder than their playful titles suggest. Eamon Hamilton’s vocals carried well in the open air, and the band’s off‑kilter humor gave the mid‑afternoon slot a refreshing unpredictability.
Hastings new generation, ‘Kid Kapichi’ What stood out how naturally they commanded the stage. They didn’t feel like a support act; they felt like a band testing the edges of headliner territory. Their connection with the Brighton audience was immediate. You could see younger fans pushing forward, older fans nodding at the back in approval, and that sense of “this band is going places” spreading across the field.
Sleeper delivered a set that balanced nostalgia with freshness. “Inbetweener” landed exactly as expected — a burst of indie energy that had pockets of the crowd singing along instantly. “Sale of the Century” was a standout, sounding bigger and more expansive in the open air than you’d expect from a band rooted in Britpop’s more intimate venues. The guitar lines were crisp, the rhythm section tight, and the whole performance had a polish that suggested a band who’ve aged well, not just survived their era.
The Levellers opened with confidence, the fiddle slicing through the mix with that unmistakable Levellers tone. The sound was impressively balanced for an outdoor show with vocals clear enough to carry across the field without losing texture.
“One Way” immediately turned the front half of the crowd into a bouncing, singing mass. It’s one of those songs that feels like Brighton’s unofficial anthem, and hearing it in Hove Park, surrounded by people who’ve lived with it for decades gave it an extra emotional weight. What stood out most was on the was atmosphere. Families, old-school fans, teenagers discovering them for the first time all sharing the same space without it ever feeling chaotic. Hove Park itself added something special: the wide green, the late-summer light fading behind the trees, and that sense of being in the middle of Brighton without the usual city noise intruding.
By the time the Levellers closed with “Beautiful Day”, it genuinely felt like one. A band still connected to its roots, playing to a crowd that knows every word, in a park that’s become part of the city’s collective memory. A proper Brighton moment.
