Level 42 took the 80's by storm and, with their brand of jazz funk, quickly became one of the biggest and most popular bands of the time. Today, they are back on the road doing a whistle-stop tour of the UK and will be performing in Croydon in October. Led by ever-present vocalist and sensational bass guitarist, Mark King, the tour features Gary Husband, Lyndon Connah, Nathan King (Mark's brother), Sean Freeman and the original keyboardist, Mike Lindup. Despite not having any chart 'hits' recently, Level 42 have been touring continually and successfully. With an extensive back-catalogue, which includes: 14 studio albums, seven live albums and six compilation albums, "we have plenty of material to choose from during our live performances," says frontman, Mark. The band have sold in excess of 30 million albums worldwide, and have had 18 top-40 singles, including: Lessons in Love, Something About You, Leaving Me Now, Running in the Familyand Hot Water. "Selecting the actual play-list for a tour is hard," continues Mark, who is clearly very excited about the upcoming UK tour. "For this tour, we have decided to play songs we haven't done for years, such as Fashion Fever. I am in the studio now re-working some of the music. I quite enjoy doing this, as our performances have to be fresh for the guys in the band too. We will, of course, be playing our classic hits as well, that is a given."

Born 20th October 1958, Mark originally hails from the Isle of Wight. He was encouraged to pursue a career in music by his parents and later, by his music teacher at school. His ability to play instruments first became apparent when his father purchased a drum kit for him: "It was a brave move to buy a young lad a set of drums. Now I am a father (of four) myself, I can appreciate what he did for me. If children show a talent for something, as a parent, you are duty bound to encourage them. By the time I was 11, I was playing the drums in a band three nights a week."Mark left the Isle of Wight (where he has subsequently returned with his long-time partner, Maria Van de Brohm, and his fourth child, Merleigh) at 19, and in 1979, he formed Level 42 in London with "old pals, Phil and Mike." At the time: "Phil was playing drums so I took up the bass."" Mark hadn't intended this course of action, but he is now just as infamous for being lead vocalist as he is for being their legendary bass player.

Some may even argue Mark is one of best bass guitarists in the world, and all because, "I started playing bass when I worked in a music shop in London; they didn't sell drums. I learned by watching people coming in and playing. My style on the bass is very much like drumming and I was naturally good at it." The 'slap and pop' style he refers to is credited to funk bassist, Larry Graham, who had stated that he was trying to imitate the sound of a drum set on a bass after his band Sly & the Family Stonelost its drummer. Mark can't recall how many bass guitars he now owns but laughs and says: "There is no recession in my bass guitar collection. I have a few new ones on the way, and I am very excited about that."

Level 42's hits are easy to recognise and sing along to: "We formed our unique style and sound through jamming together when we were younger and we were picked up quite quickly. To have your own sound is one of the best ways to become successful. Maybe this is why I have never been able to write music for anyone else. As soon as the band develops a new song, we think this would make a good hit for us." Their inimitable sound makes the band loved as much today as they were in the eighties. "Nowadays, bands sound so similar,"" says Mark. "We have fantastic talent in the UK - like Amy Winehouse - and before we know it, record labels saturate the market with other artists offering a similar sound. A lot of music today has become faceless; you have vocalists, but no instruments." Laughing, he says: "When I was younger my influences were American-based jazz- fusion bands. My taste has mellowed now I am getting older, but I am still a huge James Brown fan. I sound like an old man, I think today's music is varied but a lot of bands are manufactured rubbish with certainly no stage presence." Although the original band stopped touring and recording in 1994, founding member Mark continued under his own name and kept the loyal fan-base happy with his distinctive voice and song-writing style.

"The band originally took a holiday, and I had a few months off before I started recording again." In 1997, Mark came back into the limelight with his first solo album One Man, before touring again. "It was good fun, but I was playing more and more Level 42 songs." In 2001, he acquired the rights to the name Level 42 and took the band back on the road again. "When Mike came back we re-formed." Mike and Mark have been friends for 30 years, and the band's longest-serving drummer, Gary, joined in 1987. "We have been together with this line-up for 10 years and we keep working away. Our position in the charts is now behind us, but I love playing live, being on stage and showing off. Knowing that your music is helping people to have a good time is a fantastic buzz." Level 42 start touring in October and will be supported by up-and-coming band, Mercury Boys, and as Mark says: "It's going to be great!"