The Slits are a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bandRock band redirects here. For the video game series, see Rock Band A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music...
. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands
The Flowers of RomanceThe Flowers of Romance were an early punk band, formed in mid-1976 by Jo Faull and Sarah Hall. The band never played live or released any recordings, and, like London SS and Masters of the Backside, are more famed for the number of band members that later became well known, including: Sid Vicious...
and The Castrators. The members were
Ari UpAri Up is the stage name for the lead vocalist of the English punk group, The Slits.-Career:Ariana Forster was born in Munich, Germany on 17 January 1962 , the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor...
(Arianna Forster) and
PalmolivePalmolive was the stage name for Spanish-born drummer Paloma Romero. Palmolive was the drummer for influential punk groups The Slits and The Raincoats....
(Paloma Romero, who later left to join
The RaincoatsThe Raincoats are a British post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England.-Career:...
), with
Viv AlbertineViv Albertine was the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits.Born in Sydney to a Swiss mother and a French father...
and
Tessa PollittTessa Pollitt was the bass guitarist for the punk rock outfit, The Slits, between 1976 and 1981, when the band finally dissolved. She returned to the band when it was reformed in 2006....
replacing founding members, Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy. Palmolive was replaced by the drummer
BudgiePeter Edward Clarke, , better known as Budgie, is an English drummer. He began his career with the Spitfire Boys and Big in Japan before playing with The Slits on the album Cut....
(aka Pete Clarke), formerly of
The Spitfire BoysThe Spitfire Boys were the first Liverpool punk band to release a single . The Spitfire Boys were mainly notable for including in their line-up Peter Clarke, who went on to drum for The Slits and later Siouxsie & the Banshees as Budgie, and Paul Rutherford, later better known for being a member of...
and later to join
Siouxsie & the BansheesSiouxsie & the Banshees were a British rock band formed in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin, the only constant members....
. Although not all line-ups were exclusively female, the three main female members appeared on most record covers and publicity photos, and the group was generally presented as a female band.
The group supported fellow punk band
The ClashThe Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
on their 1977
White Riot"White Riot" was the first single by seminal punk band The Clash, in 1977. The song is featured on their debut album. It exists in two versions: the original on the UK version of the album, and the second on the "White Riot" single and US version of the album released in the States two years later...
tour along with the
BuzzcocksBuzzcocks are an English rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
and the
Subway SectSubway Sect were one of the original British punk bands, whose posthumous reputation suffered due to their comparatively small output.-The early days:...
.
Captured on a Peel Session, the Slits' originally raw and raucous live sound was cleaned up and polished by the time of their debut album.
The Slits are a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
punk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
bandRock band redirects here. For the video game series, see Rock Band A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music...
. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands
The Flowers of RomanceThe Flowers of Romance were an early punk band, formed in mid-1976 by Jo Faull and Sarah Hall. The band never played live or released any recordings, and, like London SS and Masters of the Backside, are more famed for the number of band members that later became well known, including: Sid Vicious...
and The Castrators. The members were
Ari UpAri Up is the stage name for the lead vocalist of the English punk group, The Slits.-Career:Ariana Forster was born in Munich, Germany on 17 January 1962 , the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor...
(Arianna Forster) and
PalmolivePalmolive was the stage name for Spanish-born drummer Paloma Romero. Palmolive was the drummer for influential punk groups The Slits and The Raincoats....
(Paloma Romero, who later left to join
The RaincoatsThe Raincoats are a British post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England.-Career:...
), with
Viv AlbertineViv Albertine was the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits.Born in Sydney to a Swiss mother and a French father...
and
Tessa PollittTessa Pollitt was the bass guitarist for the punk rock outfit, The Slits, between 1976 and 1981, when the band finally dissolved. She returned to the band when it was reformed in 2006....
replacing founding members, Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy. Palmolive was replaced by the drummer
BudgiePeter Edward Clarke, , better known as Budgie, is an English drummer. He began his career with the Spitfire Boys and Big in Japan before playing with The Slits on the album Cut....
(aka Pete Clarke), formerly of
The Spitfire BoysThe Spitfire Boys were the first Liverpool punk band to release a single . The Spitfire Boys were mainly notable for including in their line-up Peter Clarke, who went on to drum for The Slits and later Siouxsie & the Banshees as Budgie, and Paul Rutherford, later better known for being a member of...
and later to join
Siouxsie & the BansheesSiouxsie & the Banshees were a British rock band formed in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin, the only constant members....
. Although not all line-ups were exclusively female, the three main female members appeared on most record covers and publicity photos, and the group was generally presented as a female band.
1976-1982
The group supported fellow punk band
The ClashThe Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
on their 1977
White Riot"White Riot" was the first single by seminal punk band The Clash, in 1977. The song is featured on their debut album. It exists in two versions: the original on the UK version of the album, and the second on the "White Riot" single and US version of the album released in the States two years later...
tour along with the
BuzzcocksBuzzcocks are an English rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
and the
Subway SectSubway Sect were one of the original British punk bands, whose posthumous reputation suffered due to their comparatively small output.-The early days:...
.
Captured on a Peel Session, the Slits' originally raw and raucous live sound was cleaned up and polished by the time of their debut album. A mixture of
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
rhythms, scratchy guitars, anger and mischief, the
Dennis BovellDennis Bovell is a reggae guitarist and record producer. He was a member of the British reggae band Matumbi, and released dub-reggae records under his own name as well as the pseudonym 'Blackbeard'. -Biography:...
producedIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
debut album
CutCut is the debut album by The Slits. It was originally released in September 1979 on the Island Records label in the UK and on Antilles in the U.S...
was released in September 1979 on
Island RecordsIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in England for many years, but is now owned by Universal Music Group and is operated in the United States through The Island Def Jam Music Group and in the UK through Island Records Group...
. The album's
coverA record sleeve is the outer covering of a vinyl recording. The sleeve is technically the paper covering that is closest in contact to the surface of the recording, as in "dust sleeve", "liner" and "album liner". The term has come to be synonymous with "record jacket" and "album jacket", which is...
art depicted the band naked, except for mud and
loinclothA loincloth is a one-piece male garment, sometimes kept in place by a belt, which covers the genitals and, at least partially, the buttocks.-History and types:Loincloths are and have been worn:*in societies where no other clothing is needed or wanted...
s. Palmolive left before the
recordingSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
sessions for
Cut, partly because she disliked the others' sleeve concept.
Their sound and attitude became increasingly experimental and
avant-gardeAvant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
during the early 1980s, when they formed an alliance with Bristol
post-punkPost-punk is a popular musical movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
band
The Pop GroupThe Pop Group was a post-punk band from Bristol, England whose dissonant sound spanned punk, free jazz, funk and dub reggae. Their lyrics were political in nature more often than not....
, sharing a drummer (Bruce Smith) and releasing a joint
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
, "In The Beginning There was Rhythm" / "Where There's A Will" (Y Records), followed by a bizarre, uncommercial, untitled album of mostly home-made demo recordings, and a few more singles. The band toured widely and released another album,
Return of the Giant Slits before breaking up in early 1982. Ari Up went on to be part of the
New Age SteppersOne of the On-U Sound stable, under the creative direction of Adrian Sherwood, the New Age Steppers was a collective of musicians which varied over time...
.
2005-present
Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2005, and in 2006 released the
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
Revenge of the Killer Slits. The EP featured former
Sex PistolsThe Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They are responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
member
Paul CookPaul Cook is an English drummer and member of the punk rock band, Sex Pistols.-Early life and career:...
and
Marco PirroniMarco Francesco Andrea Pirroni is an English guitarist and singer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie & the Banshees and many others in a career spanning the late 1970s to the present day.-Biography:Born in Archway, he lived with his parents in Camden Town, until at 15 years...
(ex-
Adam and the AntsAdam and the Ants were a British rock band band during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were one of the bands at the time that marked the transition from the 70s punk rock era to the New Wave/post-punk era....
, and Siouxsie & the Banshees) as both
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
s and co-
producersIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
. In fact, Cook's
daughterA daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Plants:...
Hollie is a member of the current line-up, singing and playing
keyboardsA keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
. Other members of the reformed band were No (of The Home office) on guitar,
GermanThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
drummer Anna Schulte, and Adele Wilson on guitar.
The band toured the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for the first time in twenty five years during 2006's 'States of Mind' tour. In 2007, they toured
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
as well as returning to the United States, where they opened for
Sonic YouthSonic Youth is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Mark Ibold and Steve Shelley ....
at
New York'sNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
McCarren Park Pool. In their first ever visit to that country, the band undertook a short tour of
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in October 2007.
In 2008, the band again toured
AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Adele Wilson left the band and No was replaced by the American guitarist, Michelle Hill. In November 2008, the band played
LadyfestLadyfest is a community-based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for female artists that features bands, musical groups, performance artists, authors, spoken word and visual artists, and workshops; it is organized by volunteers....
in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. In 2007, the population of the city was estimated to be 458,100...
, and visited
London AstoriaThe London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. The Astoria closed on the 15th of January 2009 and has since been demolished.-History:...
the following month. As of January 2009 The Slits'
MySpaceMySpace is a social networking website. Its headquarters are in Beverly Hills, California, USA, where it shares an office building with its immediate owner, Fox Interactive Media, which is owned by News Corporation. MySpace became the most popular social networking site in the United...
page lists former guitarist Viv Albertine as one of the groups current members, however Albertine's own MySpace
blogA blog is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order...
states that she only rejoined to play two shows.
In January 2009,
Narnack RecordsNarnack Records is an independent record label founded in 2002. The label developed in NYC & Brooklyn’s underground music scene, quickly becoming known for its ability for developing new artists, but also working with established legendary bands like The Fall and The Slits...
announced they had signed the band to a
recording contractA recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
.
A full length album entitled
Trapped AnimalTrapped Animal, to be released on 6 October 2009, will be the first record since The Slits's reunion, in 2006. The band has suffered some line-up changes, but has still Ari Up as frontwoman vocal...
is scheduled for October 2009 release.
[http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/06/the-slits-ladypunk-legends-return.htmlThe Slits: lady-punk legends to return with first full-length since 1981 Entertainment Weekly 29 June, 2009]
The band have also announced a live return, headlining London's
Offset Festival, alongside fellow luminaries,
A Certain RatioA Certain Ratio are a Post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk"...
.
A biography -
Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits by Zoe Street Howe was published in the UK by
Omnibus PressOmnibus Press is a British publisher of books, primarily about music.They are part of the Music Sales Group, based in Berners Street, London, with other offices around the world.Past notable employees include photographer Mary McCartney Donald....
in July 2009.
Studio albums (contemporary)
- Cut
Cut is the debut album by The Slits. It was originally released in September 1979 on the Island Records label in the UK and on Antilles in the U.S...
(IslandIsland Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in England for many years, but is now owned by Universal Music Group and is operated in the United States through The Island Def Jam Music Group and in the UK through Island Records Group...
(UK) / Antilles (USA), September 1979) - UKThe UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
#30
- The Slits (Y, May 1980)
- Return of the Giant Slits (CBS, October 1981)
Later albums and compilations
- Double Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit, November 1988)
- In the Beginning (Jungle
Jungle Records is a British-based record label formed in 1982, specializing in classic punk rock & post punk releases. They recorded albums by Johnny Thunders such as 'Copy Cats' and 'Que Sera Sera' and are licensors of the classic Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers tape library, including their...
, 1997)
- Live at the Gibus Club (Castle Music / Sanctuary
Sanctuary Records is a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world. It was also the world's largest independent owners of...
, February 2005 - recorded January 1978)
Singles and EPs
- "Typical Girls" / "I Heard It Through the Grapevine
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown Records. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by The Miracles...
" (Island (UK) / Antilles (USA), September 1979, also issued as a 12-inch EP with additional alternate versions) UKThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
#60
- "In the Beginning There Was Rhythm" (Y, March 1980, split single with The Pop Group
The Pop Group was a post-punk band from Bristol, England whose dissonant sound spanned punk, free jazz, funk and dub reggae. Their lyrics were political in nature more often than not....
)
- "Man Next Door" / "Man Next Door (version)" (Y, June 1980)
- "Animal Space" / "Animal Spacier" (Human (UK), 1981, also issued as a 12-inch EP on Human (USA) with different tracks)
- "Earthbeat" / "Earthdub" / "Begin Again, Rhythm" (CBS, August 1981 (UK), December 1981 (U.S.), 7 inch single with the first 2 tracks, and 12 inch EP with 3 tracks)
- "American Radio Interview (Winter 1980)" / "Face Dub" (CBS, October 1981, bonus record included with Return of the Giant Slits album, side one plays at 33 rpm)
- The Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit Records was an independent record label in the United Kingdom.The label, established by Clive Selwood and John Peel in 1986, was the primary distributor of BBC recordings, including Peel Sessions....
, February 1987)
- Revenge of the Killer Slits (2006)
External links