It is difficult to assign a single music genre to British duo Sleaford Mods. Their style incorporates post-punk, electro-punk and some rap influences. They would be best described by a genre that doesn’t even exist: spoken word punk. Yep, Sleaford Mods have brought something new to the UK, the country where punk was born. It’s not bad for two guys who grew up in Nottingham’s working class.
By the way, Sleaford Mods is the voice of the ‘working class’. They take pride in this. They speak of the real problems of society, from the viewpoint of people who have actually experienced poverty and austerity. And they do it boldly and cleverly. The ‘punk is dead’ moniker will not apply so long as Sleaford Mods exist. You will experience this yourself at Electric Castle 8. Until then, here’s some important info about the duo:
It all originates from a lot of anger
Any seemingly ordinary event can be a source of inspiration for Sleaford Mods, so long as it generates fury or a deep feeling of rage. Jason Williamson, the band’s front man and poet, feels the most inspired when he’s mad with despair. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for us, something bothers him every day. Truth be told, each day spent on this planet can give you enough reasons to take up writing just to avoid stabbing things around. And since we brought up writing:
The lyrics are poetry for people like you
Sleaford Mods are a lyric-focused band. Their production is good, but all their charm is in Jason Williamson’s words. He sings about very common topics, in an accessible language, filled with metaphors. The saying that best applies to him is ‘calling a spade a spade’. He sings about haters, people who show off on social media, unemployment, politics, paying rent, loneliness and surrealistic philosophical issues, basically covering the entire array of thoughts a regular human being has in a day.
Their messages are not nihilistic, they appeal to their audience’s responsibility
I know, at first sight everything related to Sleaford Mods seems dark. This is not the case at all. As opposed to other punk bands, these guys do not encourage anarchic behavior, social riots or nihilistic attitudes when facing daily difficulties. Jason Williamson does not hide from the truth and does not live in ignorance. Yes, life sucks, but you must take care of yourself and the people around you. You can become responsible only if you’re honest. Sleaford Mods is the most honest band in the world.
Their live shows are quite energetic for a spoken word punk group
At the Sleaford Mods concerts, you shouldn’t expect to see a man in a wheelchair reciting to a subtle background beat. They are very energetic on stage. Especially the band frontman. The producer moves from side to side with a beer bottle in his hand. You cannot compare their energy with the chaos of a 70s punk show, but they have an interesting appeal on stage. Jason yells at the mic with all his might, he dances and moves his arms and legs as if he were spasmodic. All his rage escapes his body.
