WHEN Mark King switched from drums to bass, he made a smart move.

For the Level 42's lead singer is firmly established as one of the greatest bass players in rock history.

And this week he showed his mettle to a flood-busting crowd at Worcester's Huntingdon Hall.

With an awesome sound and lighting rig, Mark powered through a collection of greatest hits.

Coming from a band named after the meaning of life (Douglas Adams' Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy), you may have thought there would be much depth and meaning to the songs faithfully reproduced from the man from the Isle of Wight.

Forget it. This is pure disco, jazz-funk blasted out of speakers built for ten times (and more) the size of this former chapel.

The wall of sound did present something of a problem as King launched into standards such as Dream Crazy and Hot Water.

With this kind of rig, and the drum set, there was going to be a fight for sound supremacy on every level. The vocals lost out, which was a shame. But trying telling that to the frenzied crowd - not that they would have heard you.

They lapped up Mark's very obvious talents plucked, battered and torn out of a bass lit-up like a Christmas tree.

It was worth turning-up, with all the other "levellers", to hear Lessons In Love (UK number 3 chart hit in 1986) and Something About You (number 6, 1985).

Mark's band was also a wonder and as tight a group as I've seen down at the Hall. It would have been nice if King would have played a semi-acoustic set.

Yet the crowd stills adores the man with the golden thumb and a bass player who plays lead every time.

JOHN MURPHY