Article Contributed by Nick Gumas
Published on 2026-05-19
Over the weekend, Nottingham indie post-punk duo Sleaford Mods gave an astonishing demonstration of their decades of musical experience to a packed audience at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre. At a time where political fatigue has become all the more common in our society, their pensive yet abrupt lyrical sensibilities coupled with their enthusiastic and poignant delivery ignited a storm of inspiration from the Southern California crowd.
Starting the evening with abounding confidence and a determination to showcase their newest work, the pair sauntered onstage to ease audiences into the evening as they opened with their 2026 ballad “The Unwrap.” Eager to recite their favorite hits from their latest album “The Demise of Planet X,” they quickly followed with renditions of “The Good Life” and “Megaton” as the identity of their set began to develop.
Omitting many of their classic singles that defined them a decade ago such as “Army Nights,” “Messy Anywhere,” or “Snout,” the progressive and refined setlist they performed highlighted a commitment to their recent and evolved message while still holding a mirror up to society and prompting their fans to look inward through their words. Lyrically motivated anthems including “Elitest G.O.A.T” and “Kill List” reflected the almost dystopian societal standards we have normalized over recent years with a passion only they can properly convey.
Demonstrating his command of wit and tongue and cheek commentary, vocalist Jason WIlliamson addressed the audience with brevity toward the end of the evening to remark “Management told me to do a bit more talking in between songs. I don’t know if it’s a good idea, innit?”
In an elating deviation from the carefully curated ambiance of the evening, a bright light began to shine on a disco ball hanging from the ceiling as the duo slowed the tempo down for a cover of Pet Shop Boys’ immortal 1986 single, West End Girls. An inspiring homage to their London-reared muses, the cover took on a life of its own through their demonstration, with Williamson’s crisp and assertive diction giving new meaning to the lyrics.
Taking time to properly credit and appreciate many of the artists who collaborated on the work performed throughout the evening the group’s performative commitment kept audiences engaged throughout the entire hour and a half event before moving to an energetic crescendo, completing their set with “Tied Up in Nottz,” “Jobseeker,” and “Tweet Tweet Tweet.”
Check out more photos from Sleaford Mods at The Fonda Theatre.
