Sleaford Mods Storm Camden's Roundhouse: Review.

Nottingham's Sleaford Mods played one of their biggest headline shows to date last week at The Roundhouse and cemented their place as one of the most important and compelling live acts in the country.

Jason Williamson (vocals) and Andrew Fearn (music) initially seemed dwarfed by the sheer size of the venue that an impressive 1,700 people had crammed into. But it didn't take long for my eyes and the eyes of everyone else in the venue to stop admiring the size of the place and focus on the stage, thanks mainly to the immediate and continuous charisma of Williamson. He is now obviously accustomed to playing to large crowds of adoring bald men, blending dark comedy and well-founded rage so perfectly that it would keep even the most skeptical of onlookers interested.

The setlist wasn't quite what the majority of their fans would expect to start with, it was slightly disappointing to not hear all the "hits" (if you can call them that). However, after only a few tracks, the performance became massively enjoyable regardless of the level of familiarity with the tracks. Hearing and seeing the quantity and more importantly, the quality of the new material the duo hopefully have ready to release was also very encouraging. It is understandable that a band that tour as extensively as these two do would get fed up of playing the same setlist day after day. It was clearly refreshing for them to dip their toe into the unknown and it must be said that this itself is pretty ballsy, especially in a venue such as this. That in itself is a big part of their appeal, they're not known for playing it safe and I doubt they ever will be.

The music (old and new) sounded as solid and affirming as it always does coming through the Roundhouse soundsytem, Fearn's plundering bass-lines and harsh mechanical drum machine beats bounced through the room with unfaltering ferocity. Williamson's vocals sounded even more aggressive live that they do on any of the recorded material. Though the lyrics remained the same, he displayed them with such fury that it looked as if he was screaming them in the faces of those they are written in spite of. His movements on stage draw everyone in, there's nothing fake about it, there's no power chord stances or hair flicks whilst wearing a River Island leather jacket. He looks like a man possessed, screaming profanities and spitting all over the mic, while Fearn juxtaposes his performance with a gentle head bob and a bottle of Stella in hand.

Sleaford Mods released a 5 track EP titled "TCR" earlier this year and it gained well-warranted praise, they gave a couple of the tracks from the EP an outing, including the title track, which was very well received. The audience was extremely receptive throughout the whole show, yelling back the choruses they were familiar with and moshing to the ones they weren't. For those in the crowd who were aching to hear something more familiar, the encore was the moment they were appeased. The three song encore was composed of "Jobseeker", "Tied Up In Nottz" and "Tweet Tweet Tweet", all of which encouraged an almost word for word sing along from the crowd (which is no mean feat). As usual, after the show their Twitter page was bombarded with praise and thanks from people who were in attendance, one user compared the gig to a Ramones performance he saw at The Roundhouse.

Just as the set reached a point at which Williamson was pretty much drenched in sweat, he announced: "You haven't come to see us, we've come to see you", (or something to that effect) and despite his regular sarcasm and aggressive irony this appeared to be genuine. They both really seem to care for the fan base they have worked extremely hard to rightfully acquire and maintain, they understand that they're the ones they have to thank for their current place in the industry. The only complaint anyone could fairly take from the gig and that is that it could have been longer, at just about an hour long it seemed like the audience could have happily stood through another hour of performance. But even that is more of a compliment than a complaint, which I think stresses once again just how essential they are to the current UK music scene.

Let's hope they continue to this standard until they're old(er) and grey(er).

Words: Liam Navey.

The Issue With Reissuing: Feature.

Reissues, special editions, deluxe editions, anniversary specials, are they a way for committed fans to show the extent of their appreciation for an artist or are they simply a way for record companies to bleed us dry? Do we dwell too much on past glories without looking forward for something to inspire us?

It is not unfair to say that releasing reissues is much more prominent and popular now than it has ever been, but is it such a bad thing that on the 20th anniversary of an album's release we can listen to a previously unheard demo version of the lead single from said album? There are essential points to be made on both sides of this argument, on the one hand, it apparently maximises our ability to savour beloved music and explore it further. On the other hand, I'm not sure if we really need to hear demo versions of songs we essentially know back to front at a pretty large cost.

Because of the way we consume music today, it's not even necessary for it to be some sort of special occasion for an album to gain reissue status, especially if it is an album that was released when vinyl records were the preferred method of music consumption, the mere fact that the album will sell is enough of a reason. Although on the other side of the argument, the current rise in reissued vinyl sales, mainly due to them becoming more fashionable with the younger generation, permits people to listen to the music of a bygone era in a way that they seem to consider authentically superior (but that's another issue), without paying potentially hundreds, even thousands of pounds for an original pressing on eBay.

In order to form an argument for record companies being occupied by avaricious bastards who are only ever looking to exploit their stars, you only really need to look at what happens when any big music star dies.The urgency with which reissues are put out after a star's death is undeniably efficient, but is it to soothe the pain in the fan's hearts or is it to force out as much unnecessary material as possible while the death is fresh in their minds? To quote Morrissey in the opening of The Smiths' track "Paint a Vulgar Picture": "At the record company meeting, on their hands - a dead star. And oh, the plans they weave. And oh, the sickening greed". I know Morrissey isn't known to be the most positive of people but I think he makes a substantive and relatable point on this track. After Prince's untimely demise in April, the website "The Vinyl Factory" forecasted that his purchasable back catalogue was set to grow, with nine reissues fixed to be released before the end of this year. Nine. I know that there will have been plenty of people who were willing to purchase these reissues and I'm sure those people will have relished them a great deal but why was it necessary for them to be released? In short, it wasn't. But on the other hand is there a more respectable way for record labels to re-release the music of a recently deceased person who holds a spot in the hearts of millions, and why wouldn't they do it if they know it'll pull in sales?

Another big money spinner for record companies (and the artists themselves) are anniversary special releases. An example which immediately comes to mind is the 45th-anniversary deluxe edition of The Velvet Underground and Nico which is available to purchase on a physical format and on to stream on Spotify. This edition of the seminal album comes with five discs and 65 tracks, the original album is a respectable 11 tracks in length. Despite all this, next year some sort of 50th-anniversary edition will almost certainly be released, with a marginal difference to the aforementioned album. It is essential for us to ask ourselves if this incessant reissuing actually brings anything new to us or if it is simply a way for record companies to exploit us for all we are worth.

Reissuing music essentially allows larger labels to profit from nostalgia and the current general consensus that music isn't what it used to be, which is why we must always ask ourselves if we actually believe this, as it permits the labels to make money without having to search for up and coming younger talents. They can continue to release music from acts such as Nirvana and Led Zepplin to name only two, even if it is only the original album with a few added live tracks, and people are seemingly always waiting and willing to buy it. Fans and labels alike can stick to what is familiar so they don't feel like they're wasting their time and money as they can listen to something "new" from artists they know they enjoy or they know are profitable, even if the artist has been dead for decades.

Despite this, people have always seemed to believe that music sounds best when it is breaking new ground, something that we haven't heard before, and in the situation we all find ourselves in today as music fans we have access to more new music than ever before. So while it is essential that we acknowledge and appreciate what has happened in the past it is surely more important to look to this generation of musicians for something to appreciate without assuming they won't be as good as what has come before. Taking a leap of faith is far more commendable than waiting until an artist is dead and buried to listen to their music.

Words: Liam Navey.