THE BAND which played to Glastonbury’s biggest ever crowd has relived some of their wildest moments in a new documentary.

Folk-punk act Levellers, from Brighton, enjoyed huge success in the 1990s, playing to an estimated 300,000 audience on the Pyramid Stage at the festival in 1994.

The new documentary A Curious Life shows the band’s rise to fame and was directed by former Chumbawamba frontman Dunstan Bruce, also from Brighton.

Told through the perspective of bassist Jeremy Cunningham, known for his red dreadlocks, the film focuses on Levellers’ phenomenal success between 1988 and 1998 - before they disappeared in a train wreck of drink, drugs and creative drought.

Despite hitting rock bottom, the band never split up and maintained Metway Studios in Hove as a hub for music, art and creativity.

The band, who some say are named after The Level in Brighton - but are in fact named after the politcal group of the same name - emerged out of Brighton’s anarchist squat scene and was associated with the new age traveller movement.

Frontman Mark Chadwick said: “I don’t think we could have come from anywhere else other than Brighton.

“There’s always so much going on, though it’s not as politicised as it was.

“We’re as influenced by politics as much now as we ever were. I don’t think the battles change. There’s the same anger over social issues and being sidelined. It’s the same problems, just different faces.”

Despite their success the band was dismissed as ‘crusties’ by some in the mainstream music industry.

Mark said: “We stuck to our guns. We probably upset more people then we meant to.

“People would take an opposing view and we would stand our ground “We faced a certain amount of prejudice.”

Condensing 20 years into 90 minutes was “traumatic”, he admitted.

But rather than create a boring documentary the aim was to show “what it’s like to be a Leveller”.

Mark added: “The band meant a lot to a lot of people.e “It struck a chord, it was different to what was going on.

“We’re not looking for that big success anymore but we would like to reach out to a younger audience.”

Levellers will play an acoustic set alongside a screening of the film at the Duke of York’s cinema as part of the 12th CINECITY Brighton Film Festival on November 26.

The band released a Greatest Hits on September 29 via their On the Fiddle Recordings label.