Level 42

Initially operating as a jazz-funk fusion outfit, Level 42 emerged alongside fellow British funk acts including Atmosfear, Light of the World, Incognito, and Beggar & Co. By the close of the 1980s, however, the group—whose signature sound stemmed from Mark King’s thumb-slap bass work and associate member Wally Badarou’s synthesizer touches—had shifted into territory frequently labeled sophisti-pop and dance-rock, sharing stylistic company with Sade and the Style Council among acts delivering refined, energetic, dance-oriented pop/rock. Commercial success reached its zenith with the 1985 album World Machine, yet the band maintained intermittent recording and touring commitments across the 1990s and 2000s.

Formed in 1979 by Mark King on bass and vocals, Phil Gould on drums, Boon Gould on guitar, and Mike Lindup on keyboards, the quartet issued its first single, “Love Meeting Love,” only after being urged to introduce vocals for greater commercial viability, a change that placed King in the lead-singer role. Their 1981 self-titled debut album, a polished soul-R&B set, reached the U.K. Top 20 and triggered the release of The Early Tapes. Several modest hit singles preceded the 1984 track “The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up),” which climbed into the British Top Ten. Worldwide recognition arrived with 1985’s World Machine once “Something About You” peaked at number seven in the United States. The follow-up albums Running in the Family (1987) and Staring at the Sun (1988) both fared strongly in the U.K., the former driven by the chart-topping single “Lessons in Love.”

The Gould brothers departed in late 1987; guitarist Alan Murphy and drummer Gary Husband filled the vacancies. After Murphy succumbed to an AIDS-related illness in 1989, renowned fusion guitarist Alan Holdsworth joined for the 1991 album Guaranteed. That record was followed in 1995 by Forever Now.

Throughout the balance of the 1990s and the 2000s the lineup continued to shift, with King remaining the sole constant member and his brother, guitarist Nathan King, participating from 2001 onward. A new studio album, Retroglide, appeared in 2006. To mark the band’s 30th anniversary in 2010, Level 42 mounted a celebratory tour and issued the box set Living It Up, which contained a disc of newly recorded acoustic versions performed by Mark King and Lindup. Husband exited once more that year and was succeeded by Pete Ray Biggin. The group sustained its touring schedule in subsequent seasons before delivering fresh material via the 2013 EP Sirens. After supporting the release with an extensive trek through the U.K. and Europe, the band documented the London date as the live album The Sirens Tour in 2015. Performances continued into 2016 at festivals spanning Europe and South America.