By Jamie Nowell
The most startling thing about this gig was the diversity of the audience. Sleaford Mods brought together the old, young and everyone in-between for an amazing night. The reason? They are ‘for the people’. There are no bells and whistles in their performance – after starting the track on his Macbook, Andrew Fearn casually stands at the back of the stage lightly bouncing to the music whilst Jason Williamson aggressively, yet playfully, exclaims the lyrics of the tracks. The merging of the agitated, working-class versing and the laidback approach is so charming. The content really speaks to the people of Hull and this is how they draw such a large audience. Fearn’s beats are repetitive in the best way, therefore catchy and memorable. Williamson’s East Midlands accent makes the music sound familiar, while the poignant and relevant themes embedded in tracks such as ‘Jobseeker’ and ‘B.H.S.’ beautifully combine the need for great music and a great night, but also protest against the way society is run. This combination provided something for everyone in the music.
The duo really proved they were making music for the people throughout the night – they didn’t make any grand entrances or use any fancy effects, they came out as themselves and put on a truly awesome show. Williamson put on an impressive display. He didn’t offer much chat in-between songs, performing solidly for the whole gig, but he still found time to interact with the audience, encouraging them all to have a good time, even when getting a bit rowdy. An absolute triumph!
