A HOWLING SUCCESS
SLADE / FESTIVAL HALL, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 26/2/1974
BRITISH rock group, Slade, made a full blooded assault on the minds and ears of their fans last night and while the method worked, musically, it left a lot to be desired.
Roaring down on Festival Hall with a deafening wall of sound they had their audience in a frenzy within seconds of their appearance on stage.
But for most of the night it was just one continuous cacophony of harsh rock, played between 120 - 140 decibels.
Lead vocalist, Noddy Holder, doesn't sing, he screeches and the lead guitar of Dave Hill just grinds away, his phrasing hardly memorable.
Still, if one measures the success of a concert by audience reaction, then last night's was an outstanding success.
Festival Hall rocked as never before, with hardly a seat being occupied as most danced in aisles or clamoured near the stage.
But the group obviously lacks creativity and no amount of sound amplification can hide their musical limitations forever.
BRUCE GUTHRIE, THE HERALD 27/2/1974
SLADE / FESTIVAL HALL, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 27/2/1974
Night of the big noise
Noise and pandemonium were the keystone to Slade's concert at Festival Hall.
Thousands of weeny and teenyboppers screamed and stamped in a manner reminiscent of The Beatles' 1964 tour.
They had their audience in a frenzy from start to finish. The band has two focal points - powerful vocalist Noddy Holder, and lead guitarist Dave Hill.
They generate the spark between the audience and the band.
The atmosphere was well set by Sydney band Home, which prepared the audience for the main attraction.
TONY WILSON, THE SUN 28/2/1974
Information researched and obtained by Slade In England Official Australian archivist Peter Donnelly