WITH their raw energy, rabble-rousing guitars, frantic fiddle-sawing and provocative lyrics The Levellers created a whole new genre – folk-punk.

One of the most exhilarating live bands in existence, the South Coast anarcho-folksters remain a cult act – with an army of fans following the unchanging line-up.

So it is refreshing to learn that they stumbled upon that adrenaline-fuelled blend of rock and roots purely by chance.

“We came about more by accident than design,” says frontman Mark Chadwick.

“At the end of the ’80s guitar solos weren’t in vogue, unless you were in bands like Van Halen, so we put fiddle lines in instead, and started writing for the violin.”

Shunning the limelight, The Levellers have gone about amassing a huge cult following – their political lyrics striking a chord with anarchists, environmentalists, hippies, ravers, anti-road protesters and so-called “crusties” – the nomadic band of New Age travellers, complete with their dogs on strings.

But while The Levellers’ route to success has been a slow-burning one, they are – and this comes as a surprise – one of the most successful bands of their time, selling more platinum, gold, and silver albums in the 1990s than any other act, and seeing 14 of their singles hitting the Top 40, including chart-topper Zeitgeist.

And while their contemporaries have fallen by the way, they have kept their dreads and fiddle bows flying for more than two decades.

“In a world that’s changed around us, we have stayed the same,” says Mark. “We have never stopped touring throughout our 20 years together.

For a very English-sounding band, the Brightonians are also going down a storm across the Channel. “We have been playing in Europe and it’s strange how well we go down over there, though they don’t know quite what to make of us,” says Mark. “In Germany they call us ‘medieval’, but people soon realise we are a lively rock ’n’ roll band.”

Their last album Letters from the Underground was a critical hit, and at the end of last year they released a live album of their 20th anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall. They even have their own festival, Beautiful Days, which is now approaching its eighth year.

“Our music appeals to a broad cross-section of people – not just ‘crusties’ but bankers, policemen and everyone else. People like music to have a bit of oomph and a message.

“We’ve heartily mixed hedonism and politics for years. You can do both.”

On Saturday – May Day – the band return to Oxford for what promises to be a sweat-drenched show at the O2 Academy. “Come and see us,” says Mark. “There’s nothing like it. It’s a tonic for the soul and it will make you feel better!”