Sleaford Mods are an English post-punk music duo, formed in 2007 in Nottingham. The band features vocalist Jason Williamson and, since 2012, instrumentalist Andrew Fearn.[6] They are known for their abrasive, minimalist musical style and embittered explorations of austerity-era Britain, culture, and working class life, delivered in Williamson's East Midlands accent.[1] The duo have released several albums to critical praise.[2][7][8]
Williamson was born 10 November 1970, and raised in Grantham, Lincolnshire.[6] Inspired by the mod subculture and musical sources like the Wu-Tang Clan, he spent several years pursuing music unsuccessfully, both with various groups and as a solo singer-songwriter. He had also worked as a session musician with local artists as well as Spiritualized and Bent.[9][10] Fearn (born 1971 in Burton upon Trent) grew up on a farm in Saxilby, Lincolnshire.[6][11]
Williamson first met Fearn in 2009 after hearing him DJ at a small Nottingham club called the Chameleon, where he was playing his own rough-edged and minimal grime-inspired tracks.[12] Sleaford Mods began when Simon Parfrement, a friend of Williamson's, suggested he combine his vocals with a music sample from a Roni Size album.[6] Originally, the project was called "That's Shit, Try Harder",[6] but was later changed in reference to Sleaford, a town in Lincolnshire, not far from Grantham.[11][6]
Williamson formed the band with Simon Parfrement, with whom he worked alongside a studio engineer at Rubber Biscuit Studio in Nottingham on their first four albums. Parfrement left the music production to Andrew Fearn after the release of the 2012 album Wank, the first album to feature Fearn, but Parfrement continues to play an important role with the band as their photographer and media producer.[13][14]
Sleaford Mods, live in 2013; Fearn (left), Williamson (right)
On 10 December 2014, Williamson published the lyrics collection[15]Grammar Wanker: Sleaford Mods 2007-2014,[16] followed by Jason Williamson's House Party: Sleaford Mods 2014-2019[17] in 2019.
A collaboration between Sleaford Mods and The Prodigy was announced at the end of 2014.[18] They recorded a track together, "Ibiza", which appears on The Prodigy album The Day Is My Enemy, released in March 2015.[citation needed]
The Leftfield album Alternative Light Source, released on 8 June 2015, also features a collaboration with Sleaford Mods, a track called "Head and Shoulders".[19] The video for "Head and Shoulders" is a stop-motion/animation hybrid that debuted in August 2015.[20] In July 2015, the band released a new album, Key Markets. It was one of the 19 records nominated for the IMPALA Album of the Year Award.[21]
In 2016, an important turning point took place after many years, as Sleaford Mods left Harbinger Sound and signed with Rough Trade Records. Their first release on the new label was the T.C.R. EP in 2016.[citation needed]
In 2017, following the release of English Tapas, Sleaford Mods embarked on their first North American tour.[24]
One year later, Sleaford Mods left Rough Trade, which eventually led to the dismissal of their long-time manager (and owner of Harbinger Records), Steve Underwood.[25]
After releasing Eton Alive on their own label Extreme Eating Records in 2019, the band returned to Rough Trade. This renewed cooperation resulted in the release of the compilation All That Glue in 2020 and Spare Ribs in 2021 (including the single "Mork n Mindy", which was released on 30 October 2020, and reached the top of the UK vinyl singles chart).[26]
In 2019, Williamson lent his vocals to the track "Talk Whiff" by Scorn. In 2022, Williamson acted as Lazarus in the series finale of Peaky Blinders.[27][28] Sleaford Mods appear alongside Orbital on the song "Dirty Rat", released on 20 October 2022.[29]
Their twelfth album, UK Grim, was released on 10 March 2023.[30]
During a concert in Madrid on 3 November 2023, the duo abruptly ended their performance after a keffiyeh was thrown on stage. The band later posted on social media saying they believed the cloth throwing was an attempt to make them "pick sides" in the conflict in Palestine.[32]
Sleaford Mods have described their work as "electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class."[1] Williamson is responsible for the words, Fearn for the music. Sleaford Mods songs have been described as embittered rants about such topics as unemployment, modern working life, celebrities and pop culture, capitalism and society in general.[33] The lyrics usually contain profanity, which is, according to Williamson, the way in which he speaks and "not just fucking swearing".[33] Fearn's music has been described as "purgatorial loop[s]" of "pugilistic post-punk-style bass; functional but unprepossessing beats; occasional cheap keyboard riffs and listless wafts of guitar."[34]
Leftfield are a British electronic music group formed in 1989, a duo of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley. The duo was influential in the evolution of electronic music in the 1990s, with Mixmag describing them as "the single most influential production team working in British dance music". As with many of their contemporaries, such as The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, Leftfield are notable for their use of guest vocalists in their works. Among them are Toni Halliday on "Original", Johnny Rotten on "Open Up", Djum Djum on "Afro-Left", Earl 16 and Cheshire Cat on "Release the Pressure", and Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. on "Full Way Round". The term progressive house was coined to define their style, a fusion of house with dub and reggae.
"Red Right Hand" is a song by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released as a single from their eighth studio album, Let Love In (1994), on 24 October 1994 by Mute Records. A condensed version was included in the single, while the longer version was included with the album. The title comes from John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), in which it refers to the vengeful hand of God.
Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit Awards.
Anna Margaret Michelle Calvi is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. Her accolades include three Mercury Prize nominations, one Brit Award nomination, and a European Border Breakers Award. She has been noted by some critics as a virtuoso guitarist, as well as for her powerful, wide-ranging operatic contralto voice and sometimes androgynous stage appearance.
London Grammar are an English indie pop band formed in Nottingham in 2009. The band consists of Hannah Reid, Dan Rothman, and Dominic "Dot" Major. Their debut extended play, Metal & Dust, was released in 2013 by Metal & Dust Recordings; their debut album, If You Wait (2013), reached No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified Double Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The band's next two studio albums, Truth Is a Beautiful Thing (2017) and Californian Soil (2021), both reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Divide and Exit is the seventh studio album by British post-punk duo Sleaford Mods. It was released on 19 May 2014 through Harbinger Sound.
The Day Is My Enemy is the sixth studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy. It was released on 30 March 2015 by the record labels Take Me to the Hospital/Cooking Vinyl in the UK and Three Six Zero Music/Warner Bros. Records in the United States.
Key Markets is the eighth studio album by British post-punk duo Sleaford Mods. It was released on 24 July 2015, through Harbinger Sound. The tracks are critical of the UK government.
"Ibiza" is the twenty-fourth single released by English electronic dance music band the Prodigy. It was released through the band's official YouTube channel in March 2015 as a single from their sixth album The Day Is My Enemy. The song features English hip hop duo Sleaford Mods.
Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain is a documentary film following the band Sleaford Mods on a tour of the United Kingdom in the run-up to the 2015 general election. The documentary explores the band itself as well as examining the current political situation in the United Kingdom focusing on opposition to austerity. The film was crowdfunded through Indiegogo.
English Tapas is the ninth studio album by English post-punk duo Sleaford Mods. Recorded at Steve Mackey's West Heath Garage studios in London, it was released via Rough Trade Records on 3 March 2017. It debuted at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart.
Idles are a British rock band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Adam Devonshire (bass), Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), and Jon Beavis (drums).
Eton Alive is the tenth studio album by British post-punk duo Sleaford Mods. It was released on 22 February 2019 through Extreme Eating Records.
Constance Power, known professionally as Connie Constance, is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, English Rose, on 21 March 2019.
Amyl and the Sniffers are an Australian pub rock band based in Melbourne, consisting of vocalist Amy Taylor ("Amyl"), drummer Bryce Wilson, guitarist Declan Mehrtens, and bassist Gus Romer. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2019. It was followed by Comfort to Me and Cartoon Darkness, in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
"Mork n Mindy" is a single released by the band Sleaford Mods on 30 October 2020, featuring Billy Nomates on guest vocals. The song was written in January 2020. The single is on their 2021 album Spare Ribs.
Spare Ribs is the eleventh studio album by English post-punk band Sleaford Mods. It was released on 15 January 2021 on the Rough Trade Records. Production was handled by Andrew Fearn. It features guest appearances from Amy Taylor and Billy Nomates. It was later nominated for the Best Album Ivor Novello Award in May 2022.
Victoria Ann "Tor" Maries is an English musician and singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name Billy Nomates.
UK Grim is the twelfth studio album by English post-punk band Sleaford Mods. It was released on 10 March 2023 on the Rough Trade Records. Production was handled by Andrew Fearn. It features guest appearances from Florence Shaw and Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro.
Billy Nomates is the self-titled debut studio album by English musician and songwriter Tor Maries, who performs under the stage name Billy Nomates. It was released on 7 August 2020 through Invada Records.
↑ Franz, Christine (21 April 2017), Bunch of Kunst (Documentary, Biography, Music), Andrew Fearn, Steve Ignorant, Sleaford Mods, retrieved 14 January 2024
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