After Top 5 finishes with their last two records, Sleaford Mods are set to return with The Demise Of Planet X. Here, singer Jason Williamson tees it up by talking TikTok, vinyl and independence with Music Week…
INTERVIEW: Niall Doherty
PHOTO: Nick Waplington
Whilst still sounding like Sleaford Mods, the sonics on the new record feel more expansive. Were you keen to push yourselves on this album?
“I think a lot of the songs veer away from what we normally sound like, but obviously there’s still Sleaford Mods within it. You want to make interesting stuff for yourself more than anything. I want to make it exciting for me and so does Andrew [Fearn]. It’s a difficult one, because we’ve got such a strong technique and one that we wear on our sleeves, so it’s a challenge to try and push it further.”
Gwendoline Christie, Aldous Harding and Big Special are among the guests on the record. What was behind those collaborations?
“What’s really exciting is that it’s not just a case of, ‘And here is…’ and then bang for a verse and bye. They become part of the song. This time, they were more like instruments. On Elitist GOAT, I couldn’t sing that chorus – I wanted to but I just couldn’t. Luckily, Aldous Harding was around so we got her in. With Gwendoline, she is a big fan and we got talking. She was like, ‘Okay, just direct me,’ and I’m like, ‘Fucking hell, alright!’ I fashioned a piece for her and she did The Good Life in two takes.”
In terms of the release, you’re doing various limited physical products. Why is that important for you?
“Physical matters because it’s a traditional thing that I don’t think should go away. It’s something that people can hold on to. It ensures that people remember your name and the name of the songs. A vinyl album is also an extension of the message in the record. It’s part of the aesthetic. Although you can see an album cover online, you can’t touch it, you can’t open it. It’s one-dimensional.”
How do you feel the industry has changed since you’ve been in it?
“With social media – TikTok primarily, which I wasn’t sure about at first – I was like, ‘I don’t get it, it’s nothing to do with me.’ But now I see the value of it. We’ve been putting up filmed live performances from the vault and they’ve been going mad on TikTok. Your fanbase grows and people are looking at moments and then buying a gig ticket. In terms of touring, I mean, we’re going to America and not making any money, but we’ve gotta go, right? I’d be lying if I said I knew exactly what it was like now from the ground up for bands. I can’t see it being dramatically different to what it was 12 years ago when we did it, but there are always going to be obstacles in the way for creatives because that’s how the world is set up.”
You re-signed with Rough Trade in 2019. How is that relationship now?
“We feel understood, they leave us alone. They will come in and advise only when we ask them to, or if they do advise off their own backs, it’s usually very good advice. What I like about being there is that it just works. It fits.”
And in terms of management, your wife Claire Williamson is in charge. How is that working out for the band?
“She took over temporarily, but because she was so familiar with the process, and because she’s got this in-built business sense, it was the right thing to do. From then on, it was a relationship made in heaven. Not only is she my partner, but she’s turned out to be a brilliant manager. In this business, it’s really important to have a manager you can trust that is looking out for you all the time. She’s taken every album since [2019’s] Eton Alive to the Top 10. I think it’s a great look. With this one, I’d be happy wherever in the Top 5, or the Top 10.”
