BV interview: Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson talks new LP ‘The Demise of Planet X,’ 2026 tour, acting, The Specials & more

“It’s quite a big album, isn’t it?,” Jason Williamson says of Sleaford Mods‘ The Demise of Planet X which continues the UK duo’s expansion of their sonic universe. “I think it happened by accident, just in the way Andrew [Fearn] was reinterpreting my ideas that I would send to him, which I always leave to him. And his interpretation of them is usually brilliant, obviously.
It’s made Sleaford Mods what it is. So, yeah, they just felt bigger.”

While Sleaford Mods’ sound was getting bigger, the world has gotten even crazier since their last album, UK Grim, a state of things Williamson describes as “same but worse.” Yet The Demise of Planet X has a hopeful outlook amidst the rubble and apocalyptic times. “We want change and we’re certainly getting change. At the minute, it’s not very good change. But I think because we want change, the human race wants to progress. We are having to have this onslaught of dog shit for a long time until we get to a point where things will change, you know, for the better. And I believe they will.”

I talked to Williamson from his home in Nottingham for the latest episode of the BV Interviews podcast. We talked about the making of The Demise of Planet X and the large cast of guests involved, including actress Gwendoline Christie, Aldous Harding and Life Without Buildings singer Sue Tompkins. Other topics of discussion include the state of the world and its influence on the album, the Sex Pistols and The Specials, Jason’s creative process with bandmate-slash-producer Andrew Fearn, his burgeoning acting career, five records he thinks everyone should own, and more. It’s a fun, if expletive filled, conversation – but fans of Sleaford Mods should expect no less.

You can listen to BV Interviews wherever you get your podcasts and a few streams (Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify) are below.

The Demise of Planet X is out now — pick it up on neon green black marble vinyl — and Sleaford Mods will be on tour this spring and play Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 9.