Level 42 were originally formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979 when then drummer Mark King, born in Cowes, linked up with the Gould brothers.
Roland “Boon” Gould, the guitarist, who was born in Shanklin, was joined by his brother Phil. Mark had sold his drum kit,to fund his return home after touring Europe. On his return, he worked in a music shop in London and decided to learn bass guitar after Phil Gould became the established drummer of Level 42.
Keyboardist Mike Lindup had been added to the line up and then they were an instrumental Jazz/ Funk combo, before they were encouraged to add vocals to make them more commercially acceptable.
With Mark as the nominated vocalist, catchy pop melodies enhanced their popularity. As for their name, it refers to the meaning of life (42) In reference to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
They have 29 hit singles, with 6 in the top 10, including “The Sun Goes Down (Living it up)”, “Lessons in Love” and “Running in the Family.” Level 42 amassed 13 hit albums, 7 of which reached the top 10.
In 1987, the Gould brothers left Level 42, sparking a series of personnel changes before the ensemble disbanded in 1994. Mark King pursued a solo career between 1995 and 2001, but his only foray into the charts was when the album “Influences” only dented the lower reaches for 2 weeks.
He resurrected the group in 2001, only to see Mike Lindup return to the fold 5 years later. Currently, Level 42 is a 7 piece band, led by Mark King on bass and vocals along with old mate Mike Lindup on keyboards and Mark’s younger brother Nathan on guitar. They are augmented by Sean “Skip” Freeman on saxophone, Peter Ray Biggin is the drummer, Dan Carpenter plays trumpet and Ned Thomson is on trombone.
Level 42 are due to perform on Sunday afternoon at Seaclose Park, at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, in what will be an emotional homecoming.
With Sky presents the IW Festival now sold out fans of Level 42 might be interested in other venues and dates for the band’s performances.
Prior to appearing at Seaclose Park, Level 42 were in Glasgow on the 4th June and will be in Plymouth on the 13th June. Following the IW show the band will head to the Netherlands for a performance on the 2nd of July.
LEVEL 42 will also be heading out on a five-date UK tour in December 2026 to mark 45 years since their first studio album. Beginning in Bath on the 1st December, they will then head to Nottingham and Oxford, before finishing with two nights at London’s Indigo at The O2.
