The Slits

The Slits

The Slits are a post-punk 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 Romera, who later left to join The Raincoats), with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy. Palmolive was replaced by male drummer Budgie (aka Pete Clarke), formerly of The Spitfire Boys and later to join Siouxsie & the Banshees.

Career

At their outset, the Slits played a brand of brash, fun, snotty, catchy punk rock naturally suited to supporting The Clash on their 1977 White Riot tour along with the Buzzcocks and the Subway Sect (documented both on- and offstage by Don Letts in The Punk Rock Movie).

As also captured on a legendary Peel Session, the Slits' originally extremely raw and raucous live sound was subsequently cleaned up and considerably polished by the time of their reggae influenced, dub heavy, Dennis Bovell produced 1979 debut album Cut (Island Records). The album's cover art depicts the band naked save for mud and loin-cloths.

Their sound and attitude became increasingly experimental and avant-garde during the early 1980's, when they formed an alliance with Bristol post punk mavericks 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). However, by the time of their second 'official' LP release Return Of The Giant Slits (a 'semi-official' bootleg of poorly recorded early material having been released in the interim by Rough Trade), many felt that their initial energy, exuberance and innovativeness had deserted them.

Various Slits became involved with the On-U dub-jamming project New Age Steppers, along with free improvisers such as Steve Beresford and also a young Neneh Cherry. The band has had such fans as Johnny Rotten and British DJ, John Peel. Albertine also collaborated with Singers & Players and The Playgroup. Ari Up has appeared on albums with Rip Rig & Panic, The Slackers, Dubblestandart, and several others.

Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2006, and released the EP "Revenge Of The Killer Slits". The EP features 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. She is a backing singer.

The band toured the United States for the first time in twenty five years during 2006's "States of Mind" tour.

Discography

Studio albums

• Cut (Island Records, 1979)
• Return of the Giant Slits (CBS, 1981)
• Revenge Of The Killer Slits (EP),(2006)

Live albums

• Bootleg Retrospective (Rough Trade, 1980)
• Live at the Gibus Club

Compilation albums

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

Singles

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

Trivia

Slits drummer, Palmolive, dated Clash frontman, Joe Strummer.

Ari Up's mother Nora married John Lydon, also known as Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols.

The Slits also appear in Don Letts' The Punk Rock Movie (1979) and live footage of the band playing at London's Vortex Club is included in the Punk! The Early Years DVD.

References

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7

External links

• The Slits Official Homepage
• Punk 77 - The Slits
• Interview with Tessa Pollitt
• Ari Up official page
• Don Letts Interview on punk/dub/The Slits era
• Public Image interview mentions Tessa Pollitt/The Slits
• Historical dialectic of punk and dub fusions
• The Clash DJ Scratchy remembers The Slits and his Dub Punk roots
• Revenge of the Killer Slits review at Silent Uproar
• October 2006 Interview with Ari Up & Tessa Pollitt
• PUNKCAST#1062 live video from Syrup Room, Brooklyn, Nov 3 2006. (RealPlayer,mp4)