THE last time folk-rock band The Levellers came to Salisbury they played “one of their best gigs ever” in the cathedral.

Guitarist and lead-vocalist Mark Chadwick said: “Oddly, Salisbury Cathedral was one of the best gigs we’ve ever played. It really was.

“It was super memorable because of the atmosphere of the place. It was quite restricting in many respects but people got up and danced anyway. It sounded great and it looked great and it was just a special thing to do really.”

The Levellers return to the city on January 28, this time at City Hall for a film-screening of A Curious Life, which documents the band’s highs and lows since they formed in 1988.

Chadwick said: “It’s like a sideways look at the band rather than a rockumentary. It’s much more interesting than the normal films about bands; they’re usually pretty boring, aren’t they?”

Following the film, the band will play an acoustic set, which Chadwick says are “a bit more intimate, a bit more musical and a bit more personal.”

The band now have their own studio, record label and festival. Beautiful Days festival at Escot Park, Devon was set up by the band in 2003 and has been a success ever since. The guitarist said: “Creating our own festival has been a big highlight for us. It was a chance for us to make something that was more cultural as opposed to financial.”

The Levellers, named after a radical democracy movement during the English Civil War, are known for being political and Chadwick is critical of the current lack of musicians who tackle social issues in their lyrics.

The guitarist said: “We’ve got something to say that a lot of bands haven’t got to say.

“We actually have a message that’s a little bit more socially aware and a little bit more conscious-thinking than most. You don’t see a lot of that around.”

Having been together in its original line-up (with the addition of a keyboard player) for 27 years, the band members remain friends.

Chadwick said: “We all still get on well. It’s like a marriage; you have to work at it.”

That many years may seem like a long lifespan for many bands, but The Levellers show no sign of slowing down.

Mark said: “I probably get more excited about going on stage now. There were times it was just getting in the way of our drinking.”

Plans for 2015 include writing and hopefully recording new material.

Chadwick said: “Writing is kind of what you do, and you can’t stop doing it.”

Tickets are available at cityhallsalisbury.co.uk or on 01722 434434.