Sleaford Mods are back with a song built around a bassline so Madchester that it sounds like a grim take on the Happy Mondays. The duo’s music is simple. Frontman Jason Williamson delivers politically incendiary lyrics over sparse, industrial beats produced by bandmate Andrew Fearn. ‘Kebab Spider’ adds some genuine danceability to the formula and while the track isn’t exactly radio-friendly, it’s certainly quite accessible for their standards.
The Roger Sargent (The Libertines, The Vaccines) directed video is even set in an underground nightclub. It features Williamson leading an excited crowd in bopping enthusiastically to the song although the scene is ominously saturated in blood red light.
Instead of a standard chorus Williamson simply belts out “who knew, they let the experts in”. Not many bands can pull off such naked sarcasm but biting invective has been part of Sleaford Mods’ armoury for almost a decade. They even have the gall to call out the music industry: “You’ve had a record deal for nearly thirty years / What do you know about agencies / Looking for jobs, shit wages”.
Like all the best Sleaford Mods songs, you can immediately feel the rebellious energy but the more obscure references to hardship and social malaise only reveal themselves after repeated listens. It’s a uniquely British take on the space between post-punk and electronic music that serves as to re-position Sleaford Mods ahead of the release of their new album ‘Eton Alive’.