I was pretty late on to Sleaford Mods, but damn I’m glad I got there. Not a lot of groups at the moment that can court a substantial fan base and press while still managing to stand for change, or even say anything at all for that matter. Sleaford Mods are hopefully inspiring a few cats to join them here.
There’s a documentary that’s been made called Invisible Britain that should be on it’s way to us in the post any day now, so watch this space for more info and rants around it.
In the meantime, trailer below.
There’s also an interview with the chaps and those behind the film here: http://www.clashmusic.com/features/invisible-britain-sleaford-mods-on-film
And if you’re in Britain you can check out screening dates here: http://www.invisiblebritain.com/news
As you may’ve worked out getting this far down Sleaford Mods are the duo of Jason Williamson and and Andrew Fearn. Musically they grabbed my ear as a comparison to The Streets, but a few songs in and you realise what a weak comparison that is. Sleaford Mods are better compared to the first wave of punk; The Sex Pistols, The Damned, Iggy Pop and the rest.
Lyrically, Williamson’s messages and power in his lyrics are comparable to De La Rocha, delivered via The Happy Mondays or something. It’s street-poetry calling for change delivered with genuine purpose. Didn’t realise how much I’d missed this from modern bands. They stand against commercialism, the poverty gap and the shit system that Britain and the world over find themselves in. Working class punk for lack of a better description.
But whatever it is, it’s spot-on.
Having formed in 2007 and kept a solid release schedule of almost an album worth a year, there’s enough to dig through as well. We’ve only come in to it across the last few months with the last three releases on Harbinger Records – Austerity Dogs in 2013, Divide and Exit in 2014 and Key Markets earlier this year.
It’s all cracking, and yet to get repetitive. It’s addictive if anything, you find new lines and authority in the tracks each time. Get on it, and make sure you see them live if you can.