mxdwn.co.uk » Slade

Noddy Holder Wants Slade Back Together to Play Glastonbury Legends Slot

Calum Moran — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 15:24:25 +0000

“It’s Christmasssss” went the immortal words from almost fifty years ago, as Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, Dave Hill and Don Powell made Christmas history, playing one of the most enduring festive hits of all time. The band was Slade and the song was 1973’s “Merry Xmas Everybody“, and every December, like clockwork, it’s back on the radio. Unfortunately, this might be to the detriment of the band’s biggest supporters, as it consistently overshadows the other five UK no.1 singles they came up with during their heyday back in the seventies. According to The Guardian, the song’s continual popularity has seen it chart every year since 2006, with a new video for the song being released just a few weeks back.

Sadly, as the years have gone by, things aren’t as rosy for the band as they used to be, with only one original member still present and few of them seeming eager to talk about a reunion any time soon. Noddy Holder apparently puts it down to their egos tearing them apart. Holder himself left back in 1992, along with Jim Lea, despite both of them being responsible for the group’s biggest hits.

All that’s left of the original group now is guitarist Dave Hill, after firing the band’s drummer-of-over-fifty-years Don Powell, and by email as well (‘ouch’!) – although Hill denies this was the approach taken. Except for Hill, the current oldest serving member is bassist John Berry, who joined back in 2003. The others are recent recruits, with Russell Keefe (on vocals and keyboard) joining in 2019 and drummer Alex Bines back in 2020.

However, Noddy Holder is still apparently optimistic that there’s a future left for the band’s original line-up. In a recent interview with The Sun, he expressed hopes for getting the band into Glastonbury’s Legends slot, which has seen the likes of Dolly Parton, Kylie Minogue and Lionel Richie take its stage at some point or other. This year the privileged position will be taken by Diana Ross, but Holder still thinks there may be a place for him and his old ‘friends’.

However, he’s no idealist. Holder joked that the band would “probably all have to go in on a coach each. Or we’d all have to have a changing room or caravan each.” And the stage won’t be safe either, probably requiring “glass barriers between us … so that there would be no fisticuffs.“ Either way, at least one ex-member is willing to let their guard down and entertain the possibility of a Christmas truce. Who knows? Maybe the spirit of Christmas (or money) will finally convince them all to be in the same room together, at Glastonbury or wherever else fans are happy to see them play.

150 ‘Lost’ Episodes of Top of the Pops to be Auctioned in September

Lily Herd — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 21:12:50 +0000

At least 150 episodes of Top of the Pops have showed up, previously assumed to be lost forever. Footage of artists such as Elton John, Rod Stewart and Status Quo has been rescued in these performances. They date back to the early 1970s, and the mystery recorder has been able to compile a complete set of performances – even the BBC doesn’t have a full record of footage from the 1970s.

They will be auctioned in September by Omega Auctions, who specialise in music memorabilia and vinyl. They released a teaser trainer for these recordings, which contains black and white footage of Rod Stewart and the Faces performing Maggie May, and Elton John playing Rocketman, amongst others. Watch this here.

The loss of these tapes came about because the BBC had a policy of recording over old shows in order to save money on film. The year of footage that suffered the most from this was 1976. Fortunately, a currently unnamed figure, known only to be ‘from Wales’ was a step ahead of the game, recording these episodes as they aired live, on a Sony CV-2000 – one of the oldest video cameras.

The auction manager, Dan Hampson, has said, “all we know about the chap is that he was from Wales and that the tapes were acquired by a company that specialises in finding, saving and restoring lost television footage … Back in the ’70s his family probably wondered why he was spending every Thursday night in front of the TV with a huge piece of equipment, but now people are glad it has been saved.”

The mystery recorder sold the tapes to a company that specialised in protecting and transferring old recordings. This is where they currently reside, but they will be in the possession of Omega Auctions until they’re passed on to the highest bidder.

Other bands that these tapes are rumoured to include are T. Rex, Slade, 10cc and Roxy Music. A spokesperson for Omega Auctions explained that they might be of interest to “collectors of specific artists that would have appeared on the show” – including Slade and T. Rex. “There is a big market for ‘Top of the Pops’ recordings as it was such an important programme in its day.”

When the tapes are auctioned, they will be sold without copyright, so there’s no way they can be reproduced for general use; maybe we’ll never know for sure what the recordings contain! The auction winner will gain access to the entire library of recordings and also a DVD back-up of what they contain. This previously ‘lost’ footage isn’t going anywhere any more. The auction is set for September 8 2020, and the recordings are expected to be worth between £5,000 and £8,000.

Slade Announce Split as Drummer Don Powell Fired from Band After More than 50 Years

Caitlyn Hart — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:01:38 +0000

Slade drummer, Don Powell, has announced that he has been fired, after more than 50 years in the band. He revealed that he was informed of the decision in “a cold email”. This essentially means the band have now split up, with Dave Hill being the only remaining member.

Taking to his website, on Monday (3rd February 2020) to announce the news, Powell wrote: “It is with great sadness and regret that Don needs to inform his fans that he now is no longer a member of Dave Hill’s Slade. Dave has sent Don a cold email to inform him that his services are no longer required, after working together and being friends since 1963.”

The post went on to reveal that Powell is set to make a return to the music scene, playing Slade songs with his new band – the suitibly titled, Don Powell’s Slade – which he has formed with ex-Slade bassist Craig Fenney.

Powell went on to write: “However, the great news is that Don is now fully fit to play drums again! He is coming back with his band who will be called Don Powell’s Slade. He is forming it with ex-Slade 2 bass guitar member Craig Fenney. We will post more news about the recruited members in due course. Don so looks forward to going on the road and seeing all the fans again.”

The announcement came as Powell also revealed that he is working on a new solo album. Annoucing the news, about his future plans, Powell wrote: “Don is currently recording a solo album. He is in North West England at the moment – recording tracks with Paul Cookson and Les Glover. All these tracks will be issued in Don’s debut solo album!

Additionally, as previously mentioned on this site, Don has finished and completed a new album with Don Powell’s Occasional Flames which will be released this year. Don hopes that all his loyal fans will support his new ventures which he is very excited about.”

Statement:
I am sad to announce that Don and I will no longer be working together our parting of the ways has not come…

Posted by The Official Slade page on Tuesday, 4 February 2020

Last remaining Slade member, Dave Hill has taken to the band’s official Facebook page to responded to the accusation that Powell had been fired via email. Refuting the accusation, Hill wrote: “I am sad to announce that Don and I will no longer be working together. Our parting of the ways has not come out of the blue and his announcement is not accurate. I wish Don every success in his future efforts.”