Acclaimed UK punk duo Sleaford Mods played a sold-out show in Auckland last night. Tony Stamp was there.
Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods Photo: Gareth Shute
The barrel-chested man in his late forties bellows into a microphone: “F*CK OFF TWAT!”
To his right, a lanky fellow of a similar age hovers behind a laptop, bopping along to an angular beat and beaming at his bandmate’s antics.
This is Sleaford Mods, the acerbic electronic punk duo from Nottingham England, mid-way through a ninety minute set that tore strips off Auckland’s Powerstation last night. Treating us to this searing vernacular was Jason Williamson, his vocals barked over loops provided by Andrew Fearn.
That’s the entire setup: two men and a laptop. You’d be amazed how entertaining it can be.
Andrew Fearn & Jason Williamson Photo: Gareth Shute
It was a sold out show, their first and only in NZ. The crowd (on the older side, mostly hovering around fourty I’d guess), were in the palm of their hand. For some of us it had been a ten year wait.
Topics covered last night ranged from signing on the dole (‘Jobseeker’), job layoffs (‘B.H.S.’), and Jason’s discomfort with his rising fame (‘Just Like We Do’).
But again and again, he came back to his disgust with his own country and its rising nationalism at the expense of the working classes, highlighted on ‘Kebab Spider’, ‘Tweet Tweet Tweet’, ‘Discourse’, and many more.
This is one of the contradictions of Sleaford Mods. On the surface they’re one of the angriest acts on the planet, but it’s fueled by empathy. They’re mad on behalf of society’s most vulnerable.
Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods Photo: Gareth Shute
At one point Jason yells over and over “who the f*ck needs twenty eight houses?!” and it’s hard not to see his point.
But don’t think this was a dour show. In fact it was downright jubilant, a blast of energy and a masterclass in how to keep an audience gripped.
And it can’t be overstated how funny Jason is onstage, gyrating comically, pirouetting like a clumsy ballerina, pursing his lips in mock-sexy fashion.
Sleaford Mods are here in support of their recent album Eton Alive and forthcoming compilation All That Glue. They were once dubbed “Undoubtedly, absolutely, definitely the worlds greatest rock n roll band” by none other than Iggy Pop, on his BBC6 radio show. Another musical icon, Steve Albini, shares the sentiment.
High praise, but maybe misleading: by their own admission Sleaford Mods have more in common with the world of hip hop than anything to do with guitar slinging. Wu Tang Clan are the influence they cite most.
But that’s an oversimplification too: they are their own very distinct, complicated thing, fueled by profanity, the rawness of punk and the throb of dance music, and defined by Jason’s darkly hilarious lyrics.
Near the end he sneered “Will you have us back Auckland? Will you give us a phone call?”
The crowd roared. Let’s hope we’re not waiting too long.
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