10 Years On: Sleaford Mods - Divide And Exit

Ten years ago, the UK was in – what was presumed – a poor state of health. The repercussions of the 2008 financial crisis were in full swing, with the coalition government of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats four years into their austerity programme of cutting public services in a bid to rebalance the books.

Of course, little did we know. Compared to what followed, 2014 could be considered halcyon days. The only referendum in sight was a matter for the Scottish people of independence from the UK. Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, still riding high on the 2012 Olympics-enabled boost to his profile, while Liz Truss was working her way up the Tory’s greasy pole. Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer had no public profile, the former making his millions in California while the latter was pre-politics and pre-knighthood, having just received the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, whatever the hell that is. 

Yet there was an unmistakable air of a country and people undergoing hardship, only two years after the false dawn of the Olympics. The music industry was still struggling to come to terms with the streaming explosion and – in addition to belts being tightened – the money was rapidly moving elsewhere. Between movements, the album charts were laden with familiar names: Kasabian, Paulo Nutini, Lily Allen, Coldplay, while Ed Sheeran was eating the planet with his second album X. Meanwhile, on 19 May 2014, Sleaford Mods released a new album: Divide And Exit.

https://www.clashmusic.com/features/sleaford-mods-divide-and-exit-ten-years-on/