Yo. More UK GRIM”, the new EP, written alongside UK GRIM is out on Friday 20 October. Pre-order/save your copy now https://t.co/4LVj8F3Gi6 pic.twitter.com/zFD9wZq5Ws

— Sleaford Mods (@sleafordmods) September 20, 2023

Made up of Andrew Fearn and Jason Williamson, Sleaford Mods released UK Grim to wide critical acclaim, with the album finding chart and mainstream success. Now, the duo are looking to further capitalise on the wave they have been riding, gearing up to release a companion EP to UK Grim. The group also shared a new single from the impending EP, with “Big Pharma” expounding with a critical eye, the Covid pandemic and all of the information that, they allege, certain groups pushed forward with the aim of making capital gains. The song has been described by Sleaford Mods as lyrically punishing and brutally honest.

Tomorrow. 11am BST #sleafordmods #moreukgrim pic.twitter.com/gEWqn99r43 — Sleaford Mods (@sleafordmods) September 19, 2023

Speaking on the new single, Williams said, “‘Big Pharma’ was written in the opening chapters of autumn 2022 when Covid kicked in again. It carries a lot of the normal Sleaford Mods absurdism but also looks at the ongoing fascination with trying to find truths in information wholly pushed by very questionable people.” 

Further elaborating on the politically charged phrase that is the song’s title, Williams added, “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. It just feels wrong. It feeds on hopelessness, widespread fear and generations of unfettered misinformation linked to the limited critical perception we as the masses are burdened with.”

The song is also accompanied by a new video, helmed by Sean Sears. The video features an animated format that matches the lyrical content of the track and recalls the fear and information overload that often characterised the panic surrounding the pandemic.

The single and EP announcement also comes amid the duo’s preparations for their upcoming UK and European tour, beginning in October and running through to the end of the year. The pair have also shared that their performance at London’s Alexandra Palace in December will feature special guests, Special Interest, John Grant and Stewart Lee.

Back in June, Sleaford Mods joined Brit-pop legends Blur for their two night Wembley Arena performances. Supporting the band on their first night, Sleaford Mods had the opportunity to promote their sound to scores of potential new listeners.

Sleaford Mods new EP, More UK Grim can be pre-ordered here. Tickets for the upcoming tour can be found here.

Sleaford Mods UK and Europe Tour:

14/10/2023 – Tivoliredenburg – Utrecht, Netherlands
15/10 – De Roma – Antwerp, Belgium
16/10 – Batschkapp – Frankfurt, Germany
18/10 – Carlswerk Victoria – Cologne, Germany
19/10 – Grosse Freiheit 36 – Hamburg, Germany
21/10 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany
24/10 – Taubchenthal – Leipzig, Germany
25/10 – Roxy – Prague, Czech Republic
26/10 – Vienna Arena – Vienna, Austria
28/10 – Tonhalle – Munich, Germany
29/10 – X-Tra – Zurich, Switzerland
01/11 – Sala Apolo – Barcelona, Spain
03/11 – La Riviera – Madrid, Spain
05/11 – Le Krakatoa – Bordeaux, France
06/11 – Stereolux – Nantes, France
07/11 – Le Bataclan – Paris, France
22/11 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
23/11 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
25/11 – National Stadium – Dublin
28/11 – O2 Academy – Leeds
29/11 – O2 Academy Warehouse – Manchester
30/11 – O2 Academy – Bristol
02/12 – Alexandra Palace – London
05/01/2024 – Rockaway Beach Festival – Bognor Regis

As promised earlier in the year, the EP dropped at midnight on 25 December and is available to buy and play across all major download and streaming platforms from Christmas Day all the way to New Year’s Eve. Similarly to famous chart campaigns by LadBaby and Rage Against The Machines in the past, Asian Dub Foundations are now ralying the troops with the following message: “Hate Brexit? Then buy this track…get your friends to buy this track…let’s put the bigots into their place!” A social media post from few days ago also confirmed all profits from the single will go to the Kent Refugee Action Group in order to “show the rest of Europe who we really are“.

Вижте тази публикация в Instagram.

Публикация, споделена от Asian Dub Foundation (@asian_dub_foundation)

Stewart Lee’s sketch originally aired few years ago during his Comedy Vehicle show on BBC, directed against UKIP leader Paul Nuttall with powerful satire against racism, xenophobia and dominant anti-Brexit message. Asian Dub Foundation used parts of the routine for the single ‘Comin’ Over Here‘ and teamed up with Lee himself for the recording and video of the track. Yesterday’s release featured three other edits with different parts of the original sketch, heavily promoting the single and aiming for the #1 spot. 

Asian Dub Foundation are off to a flying start so far just a day after the promotional release. As of this morning ‘Comin’ Over Here‘ is sitting comfortably at #4 in the Amazon Chart and #9 in the UK Itunes chart. The track is currently just after the Kuntz’ surprising entry at the Christmas Top 10 and yet another heavily political track aimed against the government with Brexit day just around the corner. Tune in to Asian Dub Foundation’s official social media channels for frequent updates from their ambitious campaign. 

Off to a flying start everyone! We start the day at No. 4 in the Amazon Chart and No. 9 in the UK Itunes chart!Let’s keep it moving we still have 6 days! It can be done!https://t.co/wAm9ROjZo7 pic.twitter.com/VEXxxuTF4Y — Asian Dub Foundation (@ADFofficial) December 26, 2020

The original track appeared on Asian Dub Foundation’s ninth album Access Denied from 18 September 2020, their first full lenght release since More Signals More Noise from 2015. A notoriously underrated band with regards to commercial success, the record did not break into the charts or scored impressive sales but was met with huge excitement in the underground community and once again reminded everyone of one of the most influential electronic acts to emerge from the UK. The album featured powerful collaborations with the Palestinian-Jordanian band 47Soul, the French-Chillean singer Ana Tijoux as well as the renowned Australian performer Dub FX.

With ‘Comin’ Over Here‘ based on actual comedy sketch, it is not the only track from Access Denied centred around real-live speech and supporting a particular cause. The 11th song of the record ‘Youth Quake Pt. 1‘ features Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg’s famous speech given to the United Nations conference on climate change in 2018. The single came out in May 2019 in support of the rising global Extinction Rebellion and used to raise attention to the urgency of the environmental issues, global warming and mass ignorance.