Their last album, ‘UK Grim’ (2023), looked closely at life in modern Britain – frustration, politics and daily struggle. This new record takes those ideas further, with Williamson describing it as “a life lived under immense uncertainty, shaped by mass trauma.” He says the world now feels “split open by war, genocide, and the lingering effects of Covid,” while social media has become “a grotesque, twisted form of digital engineering.”

The title, ‘The Demise of Planet X’, hints at something larger than just one country. Fans can expect the same raw honesty as before, but with a wider, more global focus.

The first track from the album, ‘The Good Life’, features Gwendoline Christie (from Game of Thrones and Wednesday) and the duo Big Special. The song talks about inner conflict, the mix of joy and guilt that comes with success. Williamson says it’s “about slagging bands off and the joy and misery that causes me.”

The music video, directed by Ben Wheatley, brings these feelings to life, showing Christie and Big Special as voices inside Williamson’s head. It’s a clever and funny take on self-doubt and identity, themes that fit perfectly with Sleaford Mods’ usual mix of humour and anger.

The new album features several guest artists, something rare for Sleaford Mods. Collaborators include Aldous Harding on ‘Elitest G.O.A.T.’, Sue Tompkins on ‘No Touch’, Liam Bailey on ‘Flood the Zone’, and Snowy on ‘Kill List’. The full tracklist has 13 songs, blending the duo’s minimalist beats with new textures and voices.

FULL TRACKLIST:

1. The Good Life (feat. Gwendoline Christie + Big Special)
2. Double Diamond
3. Elitest G.O.A.T. (feat. Aldous Harding)
4. Megaton
5. No Touch (feat. Sue Tompkins)
6. Bad Santa
7. The Demise of Planet X
8. Don Draper
9. Gina Was
10. Shoving the Images
11. Flood the Zone (feat. Liam Bailey)
12. Kill List (feat. Snowy)
13. The Unwrap

The band will tour the UK, Ireland and other countries next year, bringing the new songs to the stage. With ‘The Demise of Planet X’, Sleaford Mods seem ready to turn their usual anger and wit into something even more powerful.

There are a select number bands within the UK alternative scene that seem to have a distinct buzz that follows all of their releases, and Big Special are one of those bands.

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After the cult success of the band’s 2024 debut album, ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’, Big Special have wasted no time in following up with their next offering.

Maintaining their signature spoken word style, whilst also flirting with a more progressive direction, ‘National Average’ has been received well, with Clunk magazine awarding it a five star review. 

FULL TRACKLIST:

1. THE MESS.

2. GOD SAVE THE PONY.

3. HUG A BASTARD.

4. SHOP MUSIC.

5. PIGS PUDDIN.

6. PROFESSIONALS.

7. GET BACK SAFE.

8. YESBOSS.

9. DOMESTIC BLISS.

10. JUDAS SONG.

11. THE BEAST.

12. I ONCE HAD A KESTREL.

13. THIN HORSES.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, the band stated, “It’s about coming face to face with yourself, learning who you are when everything changes,” when talking about the themes of self-reflection in the song ‘Hug A Bastard’.

To many Big Special fans, the new record came as somewhat of a surprise, as it was released only a week after its announcement. Nevertheless, the band were able to stir up a fair amount of anticipation for its release.

The release was soon followed up by the announcement of a European tour, spanning the entire month of October, with a subsequent UK and Ireland tour early next year. Another Birmingham based duo, GANS, will be joining them on both the EU and UK tour dates. 

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‘National Average’ has also seen support from BBC 6 Music and the band sat in with Steve Lamacq for a live session at the infamous Maida Vale Studios. The session is available to listen to here.

The new record is available on vinyl, CD and cassette, and is available for purchase here. Tickets are also on sale for all of the band’s upcoming tour dates, here.

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The tour will hit some impressive venues with their biggest ever show at London Roundhouse. Along with them will be standout openers Liz Lawrence, Good Health Good Wealth and GANS. Good Health Good Wealth posted their excitement to join Big Special having supported them a week prior to the announcement.    

 

 

 

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The headline spot has come from a surge in popularity and growth for the band since their debut album ‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’ in 2024. In an interview with Dork Magazine after its release, they found themselves struck by their newfound fame, stating: “We never thought we’d get out of the Birmingham scene, to be honest […] people in the South understanding what we’re on about just never occurred to me.”

The band’s roots have been important to the culmination of their sound and discography. Hicklin explains this with his lyrical inspiration from the poet Liz Berry. Hicklin says: “She’s a poet from the Black Country who writes in our dialect, and it made me think about using that a bit more.”

‘POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES’ is a soulful punk declaration from working class born voices featuring 15 raucous and vulnerable tracks.

Big Special are making their mark in the media with political rawness. Their song ‘Shithouse’ has recently featured in the latest season of hit speculative-fiction Netflix series Black Mirror. Known for its showcase of the underbelly of society, the show was a fitting place to home their stark, hard-hitting single. 

In an interview with Buzzmag, the band shared their thoughts on being labelled as a working class band and the trend of claiming these identities in the music industry. They share their experience, explaining “you’d have the awkward ‘Yeah I’m from Birmingham’ thing. Now, the funny flip is that when we meet other bands, they’re really embarrassed to tell us they’re from Surrey…”. Moloney goes on to say: “We never set out to be a working-class band. We’re just a band that’s giving an honest reflection of our lives.”

Big Special’s live performances are standout punk experiences that embrace authenticity with the band performing vulnerable tracks without glamour or gimmicks. The band have posted videos from their live gigs on YouTube.

Big special has an incredible set of tours and performances ahead with tickets available here.