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Archive for the ‘Sleaford Mods’ Category

Sleaford Mods (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 11, 2023)

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sheer Mag, Sleaford Mods, Underground Arts on April 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 11, 2023] Sleaford Mods

I’ve been aware of Sleaford Mods for a few years.  I enjoy them a little more in theory than in reality.  It’s a little aggressive for me and Jason Williamson is a little too angry for my tastes these days.  But I still thought they would be fun to see live.

When Sheer Mag was done, the roadies cleared out everything from the stage–amps, gear, banner.  Everything stripped out.

There was nothing on the stage when Andrew Fearn came up with a table and a laptop.   Then they brought up a microphone.

And that was that.

So what the heck is this band all about?

Sleaford Mods have described their work as “electronic munt minimalist punk-hop rants for the working class.” Williamson is responsible for the words, Fearn for the music. Sleaford Mods songs have been described as embittered rants about such topics as unemployment, modern working life, celebrities and pop culture, capitalism and society in general. The lyrics usually contain profanity, which is, according to Williamson, the way in which he speaks and “not just fucking swearing.” Fearn’s music has been described as “purgatorial loop[s]” of “pugilistic post-punk-style bass; functional but unprepossessing beats; occasional cheap keyboard riffs and listless wafts of guitar.” Williamson’s voice on Sleaford Mods songs is sprechgesang, rapped with an East Midlands dialect.

So they don’t really do rap.  But they kind of do.  (more…)

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Sheer Mag (Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA, April 11, 2023) [SLEAFORD MODS]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sheer Mag, Sleaford Mods, Underground Arts on April 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

[ATTENDED: April 11, 2023] Sheer Mag

I saw Sheer Mag about ten months ago. So this was my third time seeing them.  It’s always funny to me how I see some bands a lot without really trying to, but bands that I really want to see I hardly get the chance.

There are bands that I love that I have now seen as many times as Sheer Mag, a band that I enjoy, but don’t need to see again.

The first time I saw them, I said

They play a terrific swagger-filled hard rock (comparisons to many riff rock bands of the 70s abound).  And they are fronted by bad-ass singer Tina Halladay whose gritty voice sounds quite a bit like some of high-pitched male singers of the era.

They have a new album coming out soon.  And they may have played some songs from it–there were a few that sounded different from the ones they usually play.

They are certainly an odd opening band for Sleaford Mods.  Tina joked that the pairing made sense because Sleaford Mods are British and Sheer Mag are a bunch of cunts.  So there ya go. (more…)

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Sleaford Mods / Sorry (The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA, May 19, 2022) [DID NOT ATTEND]

Posted in Philadelphia, PA, Sleaford Mods, Sorry, The Foundry on May 19, 2022| Leave a Comment »

[DID NOT ATTEND: May 19, 2022] Sleaford Mods / Sorry

It’s weird to me when bands that I like feud with each other.

So it was weird to me that Idles and Sleaford Mods would have some kind of shouting match feud with each other, especially since they both advocate for the same thing (it’s not even worth getting into what the feud was about).

I love Idles.  I like Sleaford Mods–but I also thought they’d be really cool to see live.

I was pleased to get a ticket for this show, but then The Front Bottoms announced a show at White Eagle Hall and my son was really keen on going to see it.  So, I basically blew off this show for The Front Bottoms.  Which we wound up not going to anyway.  Fortunately, Sleaford Mods seem to come to Philly a bunch, so I think I’ll get to see them next year.

Sorry is a fascinating band from England with kind of spoken/sung deadpan lyrics.  But defining their music is really a challenge

Matty Pywell of GigWise stated that “Listening to Sorry’s discography is to hear a safari of different sounds, as eye catching as the next. One area might contain the grumbled discontent of punk and rock, whilst if you look close enough you can catch a flash of hip-hop and jazz. Grouping them into a single genre is a fool’s errand”. Lorenz and O’Bryen have themselves talked about their genre in music, describing it as pop music, while Lorenz has stated that “It’s just a bit annoying to be called post punk or grunge because I don’t think we are that.

I actually think the music is pretty weird and not very poppy at all.  They’d have been a great opening act for Sleaford Mods and I hope they come back to the US sometime too.

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