It's been five years since Sleaford Mods last toured North America. At the time of their last NYC show, frontman Jason Williamson had recently gotten sober, and in the half decade since, beatmaker Andrew Fearn has adopted a more sober lifestyle, as well; it has genuinely changed the band for the better. Of their three NYC appearances over the years, Wednesday night's (5/18) Irving Plaza show was by far the best, most animated I've ever seen the duo. Frontman Jason Williamson took full advantage of the whole stage, showing off some unique moves, including can-can kicks, using his water bottle like a Narwhal horn, and some ballet-style near-pirouetting.
The most dramatic change, though, is with Fearn, who no longer just stands nodding behind the laptop while downing a lager. At Irving Plaza he was a nonstop dance machine and hype man for their entire 80-minute set, embracing his inner Bez (minus the maracas). He was a joy to watch the whole night, and the show was so much fun it's hard to imagine they were ever any other way.