Following their summer performance supporting Blur at Wembley Stadium, Sleaford Mods are preparing for their upcoming UK and European tour with the release of a new six-track EP titled More UK GRIM, set for launch on 20 October. And a brilliant taster arrives today (20 September) as we get to sample the video for ‘Big Pharma’, the new album’s leading track. The EP was recorded simultaneously with their highly-praised 2023 album, UK GRIM. The new tracks not only extend the duo’s influence on the dancefloor but also offer a mix of social commentary and humour, addressing the complexities of modern times. Have a listen and a watch of the animated video for ‘Big Pharma’ below. ‘Big Pharma’ is accompanied by an animated video that takes a satirical look at health conspiracies. “‘Big Pharma’ was written in the opening chapters of autumn 2022 when Covid kicked in again,” explains Jason Williamson. “It carries a lot of the typical Sleaford Mods absurdism but also looks at the ongoing fascination with trying to find truths in information wholly pushed by very questionable people.” “The term ‘Big Pharma’ has been uprooted from its original place, one that rightly threw critique at the pharmaceutical industry as it produced more and more products that would ruin lives on a mass scale. Instead now, Big Pharma is more familiar as a term used by right wing and industrial groups trying to mask the financial aims of their arguments with some kind of critical thinking panache-type legitimacy.” The EP also includes other previously unavailable tracks such as ‘Under The Rules’, ‘Old Nottz’, ‘PO Crazeh’ and ‘My 18hr Girdle’. It follows the duo’s UK Grim LP, which arrived in March and struck a chord with the UK’s escalating cost-of-living-crisis. “There’s despair beneath the album,” Williamson told whynow in an interview upon the album’s release. “Despair at the landscape of privileged idiots in suits. The most depressing thing currently is the homelessness for me. The scores of doomed people on the streets. It’s no life – it’s hell.” “‘Old Nottz’ carries on from tunes like DIY, and centres more on local resentment for Sleaford Mods and my own perceived, helpless fall into material conformity,” Jason explains. “’Under The Rules’, carries some of this sentiment, while the title of ‘My 18 Hr Girdle’ was taken from an old 70s advert for women’s girdles and it looks at how male identity, although hard pressed currently under this cloud of Alpha Male dominance, is changing. ‘PO Crazeh’ is a mesh of absurdist, political one-liners and daft shit, basically – enjoy!” The EP will be available for streaming from 20 October and will also be released as a limited edition pink 12-inch vinyl. The duo will start their European tour on 14 October in Utrecht, before returning to the UK for several major performances, including a gig at London’s Alexandra Palace on 2 December. See the full tour dates below, and visit the band’s site to buy tickets.
14th Oct – Holland – Utrecht – Tivoli Veredenburg
15th Oct – Belgium – Antwerp – De Roma (SOLD OUT)
16th Oct – Germany – Frankfurt – Batschkapp
18th Oct – Germany – Cologne – Carlswerk Victoria
19th Oct – Germany – Hamburg – Grobke Freilheit
21st Oct – Germany – Berlin – Columbiahalle (SOLD OUT)
24th Oct – Germany – Leipzig – Taubchenthal
25th Oct – Czech Republic – Prague – Troxy
26th Oct – Austria – Vienna – Gasometer
28th Oct – Germany – Munich – Tonhalle
29th Oct – Switzerland – Zurich – XTRA
1st Nov – Spain – Barcelona – Sala Apolo
3rd Nov – Spain – Madrid – La Riviera
5th Nov – France – Bordeaux – Le Krakatoa
6th Nov – France – Nantes – Stereolux (SOLD OUT)
7th Nov – France – Paris – Bataclan (SOLD OUT)
UK TOUR DATES
22nd Nov – UK – Birmingham – O2 Academy
23rd Nov – UK – Glasgow – 02 Academy
25th Nov – Ireland – Dublin – Academy (SOLD OUT)
28th Nov – UK – Leeds – Academy
29th Nov – UK – Manchester – Victoria Warehouse
30th Nov – UK – Bristol – 02 Academy (SOLD OUT)
2nd Dec – UK – London – Alexandra Palace
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