Sleaford Mods Ft. Aldous Harding – Elitest G.O.A.T.
Sleaford Mods team up with Aldous Harding on “Elitest G.O.A.T.”, the fifth single from “The Demise Of Planet X”, arriving Friday via Rough Trade Records. The collaboration brings together two unlikely creative voices — Williamson’s direct barking against Harding’s weightless delivery.
The track builds around a bassline inspired by David Bowie’s “Low”. Williamson explains the progressive influence initially unnerved him, making it sound “like a small band”. But Andrew Fearn’s beat pulls it back into familiar territory, while Harding’s layered vocals add something genuinely different. Her chorus — “Now my life is much better, since I behave the way I never” — floats over the duo’s propulsive production, creating tension between anxiety and satisfaction.
The pairing isn’t random. Williamson first saw Harding perform at a Tasmanian festival in 2020, describing her stage presence as “like a young John Lydon”. He later provided vocals on “Leathery Whip” from her 2022 album “Warm Chris”. When “Elitest G.O.A.T.” pushed into new sonic ground, they invited her to Invada Studios in Bristol. “That day was very special,” Williamson recalls. “I felt like we’d really accomplished something.”
John Minton’s video matches the song’s unease, mixing found footage with band imagery. Williamson wanted something reflecting “the banal energy of people posturing in the face of other people’s pain and misery”, drawing on Mark Fisher’s “Exiting The Vampire Castle” and its critique of infighting on the Left. Minton describes it as “a feeding frenzy of images” — vampires and sharks chomping through themes of privilege and collective conformity.
The album arrives alongside a collaboration with Ilkley Brewery, producing both a 4% IPA and alcohol-free lager. Five pence from every can and 10 pence from every pint goes to War Child, continuing the band’s longstanding charity partnership.
The February-March UK tour includes £5 low-income tickets, with £1 from every ticket also supporting War Child.
Tour Dates Europe
- February 6 — Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK w/ Jasmine.4.T
- February 7 — Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK w/ Jasmine.4.T
- February 12 — O2 Academy, Leeds, UK w/ Jasmine.4.T
- February 13 — O2 Academy, Liverpool, UK w/ Jasmine.4.T
- February 14 — Great Hall, Cardiff Students’ Union, Cardiff, UK w/ Jasmine.4.T
- February 19 — 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, Ireland w/ Cowboy Hunter
- February 20 — Limelight, Belfast, Ireland w/ Cowboy Hunter SOLD OUT
- February 21 — Cyprus Avenue, Cork, Ireland w/ Cowboy Hunter SOLD OUT
- February 26 — O2 Academy, Oxford, UK w/ PENGSHUI
- February 27 — Rock City, Nottingham, UK w/ PENGSHUI SOLD OUT
- February 28 — Rock City, Nottingham, UK w/ Heartworms
- March 5 — Beacon, Bristol, UK w/ Heartworms
- March 6 — Dome, Brighton, UK w/ Heartworms
- March 7 — O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK w/ Heartworms + Orbital DJ set
- March 10 — Casino de Paris, Paris, France
- March 11 — Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
- March 12 — O13, Tilburg, Netherlands
- March 14 — Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
- March 15 — Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg, Germany
Oceania
- April 11 — Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth, Australia
- April 14 — Forum Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- April 17 — Enmore Theatre, Sydney, Australia
- April 19 — Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide, Australia
- April 21 — Tivoli, Brisbane, Australia
- April 23 — Meow Nui, Wellington, New Zealand
- April 25 — Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand
