IF the organisers of this weekend's double bill of concerts are hoping this will encourage people back to rural areas in the wake of foot and mouth, they're not getting much help from the weather.

Last night Dalby Forest was cold, wet... and yet really quite joyous.

The Levellers have had a mixed past, with their combination of protest music, Clash-style guitars and laid-back sense of fun. Sometimes they hit top form and sometimes they sound merely average, and the same was true of last night's concert.

Too many plain Jane songs padded out the middle part of the gig, and the audience drifted a little.

But when the Levellers hit the mark, such as with the splendid 15 Years or One Way, they rang out like firecrackers in the night, setting the audience into a frenzy of dancing.

By the end of the night, The Levellers strung together such a strong finale that they were called back not once, but twice for encores. The crowd still cried out for more after that, but we'd had our fill and turned our attention to the long drive home.

The new venue worked well (although more bins for rubbish and better signposting on the way out wouldn't hurt) and the whole thing was very smoothly organised.

Tonight sees the second of this double bill of gigs, with Jools Holland bringing his big band to the forest. I just hope Jools fans get better weather.

Updated: 09:42 Saturday, June 02, 2001