Album Review: Sleaford Mods, UK GRIM

Across UK GRIM, Sleaford Mods skewer all “behaviours of the unsaved” on the island of Tory Kong, a flesh-eating monstrous Britain, which fears nothing more than a citizen with an independent mind – which vocalist Jason Williamson possesses in spades.

With godsent town-crier rhyming - variously lambasting pot-bellied politicians, flimsy tattooed hipsters, Mao-like showbiz types and plenty more – Williamson is on peak form.

Primed to be a rollicking brute when played live, groove mechanic Andrew Fearn cranks out Krautrock on ‘On The Ground’; hip-hop on ‘D.I Why’: and tribal arcade beats on ‘Tory Gong’. And there’s plenty more where that came from, including electro-funk work-out ‘Apart From You’ and the Chic-like ‘Rhythms Of Class’.

For good measure, ‘So Trendy’ includes a terrific turn from alt-rock maestro Perry Farrell, with some fine shredding from his Jane's Addiction pal Dave Navarro. Rounding out the guests is Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw, who delivers numbness-as-feeling on ‘Force 10 From Navarone’. It’s another highlight of a record which carves out a discerning vision for a better England.

8/10

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