Slade at Koko in London December 18th 2011
I spent some great nights in the company of Slade in the 70s and early 80s. In their heyday Slade were, without question, one of THE great live acts. Their shows were always very loud, very wild and great fun. My first Slade experiences were in Sunderland Locarno, and at the Lincoln festival in 1972 where they were one of the highlights of the weekend. I saw them in a sold out Newcastle City Hall at the peak of their success, and then in their wilderness years in a half empty City Hall and in small clubs such as Middlesbrough Rock Garden. I was also lucky enough to be at the Reading festival in 1980, where Slade were a last minute replacement for Ozzy Osbourne, and took the place by storm. That Reading set signalled a return to popularity, this time as a heavier rock band. The last couple of times I saw Slade were in the early 80s at the City Hall (sold out again) and Sunderland Polytechnic Wearmouth Hall. I must have seen them around a dozen times, including a great night at Sunderland Empire (the front row seats collapsed under the weight of the crowd), and low down the bill at one of the Donington Monsters of Rock festivals.
The current incarnation of the band features guitarist Dave Hill, drummer Don Powell and a couple of new members. No Noddy Holder or Jim Lea. To be honest I wasn’t too sure what to expect, and thought twice about whether to take the plunge and go and see them. A few things made me decide to make the trip to London for this show. Firstly, Slade shows in the UK are few and far between now; they seem to play mostly in Germany, where they retain a strong following. Secondly, this show sees them returning to the Music Machine, which (now called Koko) is a venue which they played several times in the 70s and 80s, so there was a sense of homecoming about the gig. Also this was a charity gig in support of the Lord Taverners, with all monies going to a good cause. Finally, this is the closest that I’m likely to get to seeing Slade again, Dave Hill was always a great showman, and Don Powell a great drummer, so why not? Reading the Slade forum, it seems that many members were, like me, going along to this show after a long time away from the band. It was also being filmed for DVD, which always makes things a little bit special. On balance I was looking forward to the gig as a way of returning to my memories, and saying thank you to Dave and Don. This will have to be enough for me, until a full Slade reunion happens, if it ever does. On that subject, recent reports suggest that Noddy may be coming round to the possibility (less so Jim I think), so never say never. If it ever does happen, you can count me in, for sure. And if not, well the Koko gig will just have to do for now. Reflecting further on the current line-ups of classic rock bands, I realise that in the past week I have seen Status Quo (two original members) and Uriah Heep (one original member), and that both are still great and remain true to their own rock legacies. Also, The Hollies and Yes continue with new vocalists and do pretty well, and I have enjoyed them in concert this year. So why was I so apprehensive of seeing Slade without Noddy? I guess it says something about the power that Noddy Holder had as a vocalist, and the presence that he had on stage.
On the night if the gig I took a walk from my hotel to the venue, which didn’t take me too long. I stopped off for a drink in the pub over the road from Koko, which was full of Slade fans. A Noddy lookalike was sporting a mirrored top hat and a tartan suit, and another had a Dave Hill haircut and an inflatable guitar. I made my way over to Koko, which was starting to fill up. At around 7pm DJ Mike Read took to the stage to introduce the band. He also showed a video of charity work of the Lord Taverners. A few moments later Slade took to the stage, starting off with We’ll bring the house down. The set was, as expected full of hits, all played well; it was great to hear them all again (my only gripe: I thought it could have been a bit louder). The singer did a good job, his vocals were strong and pretty true to Noddy, although he left much of the talking to Dave Hill, who has clearly become the front man. It is very clear that this is Dave and Don’s band. Dave was on great form, clearly enjoying himself, running about the stage, getting the crowd to sing along and playing some great guitar. The place was pretty full, and the crowd was really up for the occasion, giving the band a great reception. During Mama weer all crazee now Dave strapped on his Superyob guitar (is this a new one? pretty sure Marco from Adam and the Ants has the original?). The set finished with Get down and get with it, and the encores were My oh my; Cum on feel the noize; and the inevitable Merry Xmas everybody. Mike Reid came back on to close the evening wearing Dave’s old stage jacket which had just been auctioned for £250 (a bargain). It was great to see them again for old times sake, but it did make me realise how good a full reunion could be.
Setlist: We’ll bring the house down; Take me bak ‘ome; Lock up your daughters; Far far away; Everyday; Look wot you dun; Red hot; Coz I luv you; Run runaway; M’Hat M’Coat (Dave Hill guitar solo); I hear ya calling; Gudbuy t’Jane; The bangin’ man; Mama weer all crazee now (with drum solo); Get down and get with it
Encore: My oh my; Cum on feel the noize ; Merry Xmas everybody
I hate printed tickets
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