SLADE in Manchester
SLADE / BELLE VUE, MANCHESTER, 21/4/1974
THERE IS, of course, more than one way to kill a cat. If this is bad news for cats, it's certainly worth bearing in mind for people who write about pop music.
Slade, who played at Belle Vue in Manchester last night, were once described by a writer in a hip American music paper ( I must say, I thought rather nicely at the time ) as a band so bad, they should be ashamed to play in public. Wiser far than he, I have spoken to their PR man. They dislike critical acclaim, it seems, owning up quite readily to being a pretty awful band.
In fact they might well embrace both the American's and my point of view on that. But while I endorse his artistic assessment, so to speak, I did agree with the PR man that he did really miss the point.
Slade and their fans are not expecially concerned with music. More with stomping, shouting and ...er ..having a good time. We began the evening with a "who looks the Sladest" competition. The title went to Garry Hammond after a real cliff hanging clapometer play off against Deb Naylor; though there again I thought she looked about as Sladish as the next.
Last time I saw Slade they were into underwear.
Girls threw their knickers on to the stage. But I gather that was something of a put up job; the technology of contemporary knicker wearing often standing firmly in the way of spontaneous divestment.
Somebody did throw the odd thing up last night (very odd in fact, several things strung together, but I suppose somebody who makes a joke about a lady with six tits can't be all that bad) but now I see they are into football. You have to scream like a demented wolfhound when they mention your team. It's all very exciting.
There are no end of serious theories for this sort of phenomenon. My own contender is that they are in someone's pay Once of the lingerie department of Marks and Spencers and lately of the FA. But at least, while it wasn't particularly good, clean, or fun, the smell of pot didn't hang heavy in the air etc etc etc, and there was no chance, just none of the dawning of a new era.
Last time I only managed 10 minutes. This time was much better at maybe 35. I wonder how that would register on the Sladeometer ?
BARRY COLEMAN, THE GUARDIAN 22 APRIL 1974
Article researched and provided by SIE official historian Chris Selby
Slade in England © 2015