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Joe Talbot and Sleaford Mods‘ Jason Williamson have well and truly buried the hatchet, appearing together in a new podcast interview.
The IDLES frontman had a candid conversation with Williamson when he invited him onto his Oh Gatekeeper podcast. The pair spoke openly about how they have tried to be less critical of others in recent years.
Both made headlines with an apparent feud back in 2019, when Williamson shared his dislike of IDLES and accused them of “appropriating a working class voice”, and then branded Fat White Family “a Moby covers band” in response to them weighing in on the feud.
Talbot later hit back and said that there was “no authenticity in just being a prick to everyone”, as well as questioning: “What the fuck is wrong with the guy?”. Barbs continued to be traded over the year.
Earlier this year, when Sleaford Mods announced their album ‘The Demise Of Planet X’ with the single ‘The Good Life’, Williamson told NME that he had turned a new page, and had been going to therapy to work on being more empathetic towards others, rather than lashing out in a way that is “completely ineffective.”
This coincided with the new outlook that Talbot said he was taking on in 2024, when he opened up to NME about trying to “break those cycles” of pessimism, and realising that he was wanting to take a new approach to songwriting that was about “needing love”.
Now, both Talbot and Williamson have spoken about how they put their feud to one side, and have found common ground in the inspiration for their songwriting, their working class backgrounds, and their determination to be more open to others opinions. Talbot introduced the Mods frontman and former sparring partner as “an old and new friend”.
Towards the start of their podcast appearance, Talbot joked that he was “on a Zoom with my arch-nemesis”, looking down the camera and smiling as Williamson laughed and called him a “massive bastard” and quipped: “Well fuck you for inviting me on”.
During the interview, the two frequently complimented each other’s work and drive, as well as touching upon the difficulty faced by artists to make a living in creative fields.
“Making it in music is rare, in terms of being paid [to do it] as a job,” Talbot shared at one point, before describing the struggle creatives face between “keeping your head down and thinking ‘I’m just going to give up’, or keeping your head down and [carrying on]”.
“I used to constantly think both things,” Williamson replied. “It’s always been against you. There always been a wall to climb over, and I don’t think that will ever change. If you’re going to get it handed to you on a plate though, it’s not going to be very interesting. That’s just basic mathematics.”
Towards the end of the interview, the two also spoke about how they have both taken steps to build their own confidence, and push to be less harsh on others – often using songwriting as a way to channel their emotions.
When asked by Talbot if he ever battled with the feeling of “imposter syndrome”, Williamson revealed that a lot of his frustrations came from “sadness” more than insecurity.
“I’ve come out of therapy for a little bit [and] I’ve got a handle on quite a lot of it,” he said, saying that while he is noticing progress in his personal life, there are “still lots of grey areas”.
“I don’t think I’ve got a low opinion of myself. I don’t think I’m very glamorous and I’ve tried to right a lot of wrongs in myself,” he continued. “Criticising others too much — and you know about that, obviously, because you’ve had first-hand experience of that. I’m trying to overcome some of these attributes that are unattractive and unintelligent.
“I’m over them. But also at the same time I’m aware that there’s nothing wrong with feeling like that sometimes.”
Talbot agreed, saying that he has realised through processing his “anger” that there can be a better way to channel his emotions. “Emotionally… It’s OK to be ugly. It’s OK to feel ugly things,” he shared. “If you’re not given that allowance, you go around thinking you’re the only one thinking ‘he’s a c**t’.”
“You mentioned paranoia, that’s what I was talking about in my therapy today,” Talbot added. “I was worried that I’m too paranoid and not trusting enough. But if I don’t say that in my music, it’s not going to help me by bottling it up. And its not allowing anyone else to un-bottle it themselves.”
Sleaford Mods are set to release their new album ‘The Demise Of Planet X’ on Friday January 16, 2026. The record will mark the duo’s eighth album, and feature guest appearances from the likes of soul singer Liam Bailey, grime MC Snowy, Life Without Buildings singer Sue Tompkins, and Aldous Harding.
As for IDLES, the band opened up to NME earlier this summer about their huge Bristol homecoming shows, and revealed that they are looking to commence a new “era” by writing some of their “most driven” material to date.
“We’re [eventually] going to come back with a new show, with a new album,” he said, discussing a follow-up to 2024’s chart-topping ‘TANGK. “This album is more driven. That’s all I can say, really. There’s more a drive to it.”
Aside from working on new IDLES music, Talbot has recently joined forces with Gorillaz to share the reflective new single ‘The God Of Lying’. In 2026, IDLES will also be joining Deftones at All Points East, and helping to open for Foo Fighters at their ‘Take Cover’ European stadium tour.
The post IDLES’ Joe Talbot and former “arch-nemesis” Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson bury the hatchet on new podcast interview appeared first on NME.