Sleaford Mods have released a statement on their show at Banksy’s Dismaland

With their show at Banksy’s Dismaland “bemusement park” fast-approaching, Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson has offered up a statement addressing some of the controversies surrounding the artist. In pure Sleaford fashion, it is of course ‘a bit rude’, but touches upon many of the criticisms levelled at both Banksy himself and the Dismaland experience.

”I got asked about 8 months ago if Sleaford fancied playing an art exhibition,” explains Williamson in a post on the band’s Facebook. “I asked who’s it was and got told whose it was and I thought yes, why not? I thought it was really good that we’d been asked. Why shouldn’t I think it was really good that we’d been asked? Am I supposed to say no because a lot of Banksy’s work is bought by rich people? In the eyes of the entertainment media it’s proclaimed that prominent figures from that industry attend his exhibitions. What’s he supposed to do about that then? If anything. Why is this an issue? Why is this somehow a signified port of self-corruption, a prime example of personal demise? Banksy, the people’s enemy, pointing a stick at us, the herd… Fuck off. It’s understood in some quarters that Dismaland is an insult to the masses because the tickets fall out of an upturned shopping trolley?

“Yeah, he’s laughing at us, he had to be, surely. He’s calling us all thick bastards.”
Fuck off, really? It’s a political witch hunt these days and I can’t deny we don’t chase targets down the fuckin street but this notion of critique levelled at this event is bollocks. It’s only an issue because you don’t quite know why do you? It just feels good being an issue doesn’t it? Do you feel his pricing as regards to his work is a bit out of your wallet? Of course it is, it’s fuckin good art, that’s why. Stuff that’s fuckin good tends to be more expensive (apart from whiz) if it’s floating for monetary gain in the darkness of the free market, that’s just how things are. Good works also contain extended effort which is usually married with extended study but as we know, this can be used negatively and most of the time it is. I don’t see any negativity in Dismaland to be honest, it’s an exhibition of brutality of constant human error. I couldn’t give a fuck how much money he charges for whatever and that’s simply because he makes an effort, he comments and very powerfully. I do understand however that literally no one is ever pleased, I understand that, but please, just fuck off. When it sinks, and it will, then we will all go.”

In addition, the two-piece appeared on Channel 4 News last week to discuss their stances on a number of topics, including the newly-appointed leader of the Labour party Jeremy Corbyn. Check out that interview below.