The Levellers were never exactly mainstream at the best of times (nor, of course, did they want to be).

Yet even by their low-key standards, the band have been conspicuous by their absence during the past couple of years.

After the release of their debut album, Weapon Called The Word, in 1990, the band's upward trajectory looked unstoppable.

Both Levelling The Land and Levellers were very well received and, by 1994, they were big enough to play a headline slot at Glastonbury.

Zeitgeist, released the following year, reached the number one slot - helped by hit single Just The One and two Top Of The Pops appearances.

Since then, however, there has been a notable loss of momentum.

Two studio albums have been released to lacklustre reviews and mediocre sales. Those who hadn't forgotten the band altogether probably assumed the Levs were getting a little long in the tooth for the radical causes that had inspired their early music.

So the gig, back in their home town, came at a fairly important stage in their career.

If they couldn't deliver the goods on their own turf, they were surely destined for descent into bargain-bin hell.

But such fears were laid to rest during the opening number, a rendition of Is This Art by Mark and Simon.

Alone on stage, armed only with acoustic guitars, the twosome proved the song was easily strong enough to stand up without backing nearly a decade after its release.

Joined by the rest of the band, they went on to deliver a blistering set that included anthems such as One Way, Dirty Davey, Fifteen Years and hit single Beautiful Day.

There were also tracks from the new album Green Blade Rising which has rightly been heralded as something of a return to form.

Admittedly, there remains a sense they may never quite match their early-Nineties standards. The high proportion of old material could be seen as a sign the band's song-writing heyday is behind them.

The audience reaction, although enthusiastic, was not as ecstatic as it might have been ten years ago.

Overall, however, this tour shows The Levellers to be in a fine state of health and the new material is the best for at least five years.

They may be approaching their 15th anniversary but it would be a big mistake to dismiss them as crusty has-beens.