The Slits

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The Slits
The Slits in New York City, 2007
The Slits in New York City, 2007
Background information
Origin London, England
Genre(s) Punk rock, post-punk
Years active 1976–1982
2005–present
Label(s) Island
CBS
Y Records
Members
Ari Up
Tessa Pollitt
Hollie Cook
Michelle Hill
Anna Schulte
Former members
Kate Korus
Suzy Gutsy
Palmolive
Viv Albertine
Bruce Smith
Budgie
Adele Wilson
No

The Slits are a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up (Arianna Forster) and Palmolive (Paloma Romero, who later left to join The Raincoats), with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy.[1] Palmolive was replaced by the drummer Budgie (aka Pete Clarke), formerly of The Spitfire Boys and later to join Siouxsie & the Banshees.[1]

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] 1976-1982

The group supported fellow punk band The Clash on their 1977 White Riot tour along with the Buzzcocks and the Subway Sect.[2]

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 reggae rhythms, scratchy guitars, anger and mischief[3], the Dennis Bovell produced debut album Cut was released in September 1979 on Island Records.[1] The album's cover art depicted the band naked, except for mud and loincloths.[1] Palmolive left during the recording sessions for Cut, partly because she disliked the others' sleeve concept.[3]

Their sound and attitude became increasingly experimental and avant-garde during the early 1980s, when they formed an alliance with Bristol post-punk band The Pop Group, sharing a drummer (Bruce Smith) and releasing a joint single, "In The Beginning There was Rhythm" / "Where There's A Will" (Y Records). The band toured widely and released a second, confused and disappointing LP, Return of the Giant Slits before breaking up in early 1982.[3][1] The remaining members, except for Pollitt went on to be part of the New Age Steppers.[1]

[edit] 2005-present

Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2005, and in 2006 released the EP Revenge Of The Killer Slits.[2] The EP featured former Sex Pistol Paul Cook and Marco Pirroni (ex-Adam & the Ants, and Siouxsie & the Banshees) as both musicians and co-producers. In fact, Cook's daughter Hollie is a member of the current line-up, singing and playing keyboards. Other members of the reformed band were No (of The Home office) on guitar, German drummer Anna Schulte, and Adele Wilson on guitar.

The band toured the United States for the first time in twenty five years during 2006's 'States of Mind' tour. In 2007 they toured Australia as well as returning to the United States, where they opened for Sonic Youth at New York's McCarren Park Pool.[4] In their first ever visit to that country, the band undertook a short tour of Japan in October 2007.

In 2008 the band again toured America. Adele Wilson left the band and No was replaced by the American guitarist, Michelle Hill. In November 2008, the band played Ladyfest in Manchester, and visited London Astoria the following month. As of January 2009 The Slits' MySpace page lists former guitarist Viv Albertine as one of the groups current members, however Albertine's own MySpace blog states that she only rejoined to play two shows.

In January 2009 Narnack Records announced they had signed the band to a recording contract.

A full length album entitled Trapped Animal is scheduled for October 2009 release. [5]

The band have also announced a live return, headlining London's Offset Festival, alongside fellow luminaries, A Certain Ratio.

A biography - Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits by Zoe Street Howe will be published in the UK by Omnibus Press in July 2009.[6]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Live albums

  • Bootleg Retrospective (Rough Trade, May 1980)
  • Typical Girls - Live in Cincinnati & San Francisco USA (Basic Records, 1980)
  • Live at the Gibus Club (Castle Music/Sanctuary Records, February 2005 - recorded January 1978)[9]

[1]

[edit] Compilation albums

  • The Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit, February 1987)
  • Double Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit, November 1988)
  • In the Beginning (Jungle Records, 1997)

[1]

[edit] Singles

  • "Typical Girls"/"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Island, September 1979) UK #60[7]
  • "In The Beginning There Was Rhythm" (split single with The Pop Group), (Y Records/Rough Trade, March 1980)
  • "Man Next Door" (Y Records/Rough Trade, June 1980)
  • "Animal Space" (Human Records, 1981)
  • "Earthbeat" (CBS, August 1981 (UK), December 1981 (U.S.))

[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 894/895. ISBN 1-84195-017-3. 
  2. ^ a b "Biography by John Dougan". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=THE|SLITS&sql=11:w9fixqe5ldje~T1. Retrieved on 23 April 2009. 
  3. ^ a b c Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd.. p. 397. ISBN 0-85112-072-5. 
  4. ^ Slits Set for U.S. Summer Tour Pitchfork, 6 July 2007.
  5. ^ [http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/06/the-slits-ladypunk-legends-return.html The Slits: lady-punk legends to return with first full-length since 1981 Entertainment Weekly 29 June, 2009
  6. ^ . ISBN 978-1847727800. 
  7. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 508. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  8. ^ http://pitchfork.com/news/35589-the-slits-to-return-with-itrapped-animali/
  9. ^ Allmusic.com - album overview - accessed April 2009

[edit] External links

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