The Slits - WikiHQ

The Slits were an early  punk and then post-punk band based in London, formed there in 1976 by members of the groups the Flowers of Romance and the Castrators. The group's early line-up consisted of Ari Up (Ariane Forster) and Palmolive (a.k.a. Paloma Romero, who played briefly with Spizzenergi and later left to join the Raincoats), with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members Kate Korus and Suzy Gutsy.

Career

1976–1982

The Slits formed in October 1976 when Ari Up went to a Patti Smith gig at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. After having an argument with her mother, Ari was approached by Palmolive and Kate Korus with the offer to form a band. The next day they had their first rehearsal.

The group supported the Clash Club performances of the Slits during this period are included in The Punk Rock Movie (1978). In November 1978, the Slits toured with the Clash again on the "Sort it Out Tour" and were joined by the Innocents who opened the shows. Joe Strummer said the group would be "great" with intense gigging.

Palmolive left the band in 1978 and debuted with the Raincoats on 4 January 1979. She was replaced by the drummer Budgie (Peter Clarke), formerly of the Spitfire Boys and later of Siouxsie and the Banshees. including by Palmolive herself, but Viv Albertine has stated that Palmolive had been asked to leave the band several months previously, and she does not appear on the record.

The Slits' 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 drummer Bruce Smith and releasing a joint single, "In the Beginning There Was Rhythm / Where There's a Will..." (Y Records). This was followed by an untitled compilation album of mostly homemade demos and live performances from before the release of Cut. The band toured widely and released their second studio album, Return of the Giant Slits, before breaking up in early 1982. The EP featured former Sex Pistols member Paul Cook and former Adam and the Ants members Chris Constantinou and Marco Pirroni as both musicians and co-producers. Cook's daughter Hollie played with the band, 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, and followed this with tours of Australia and Japan, as well as opening for Sonic Youth at New York's McCarren Park Pool. Adele Wilson and No left the band, to be replaced by American guitarist Michelle Hill. A biography – Typical Girls? The Story of the Slits by Zoë Street Howe was published in the UK by Omnibus Press in July 2009, and the band's third full-length album entitled Trapped Animal was released three months later.

Founding member Ari Up died in Los Angeles in October 2010 at the age of 48. The band's final work, the video for the song "Lazy Slam" from Trapped Animal, was released posthumously according to Ari Up's wishes. A final song, the unreleased 1981 recording "Coulda Woulda Shoulda", was due to be released in early 2011.

Personnel

Members

Ari Up – vocals (1976–1982, 2005–2010; died 2010)
Palmolive – drums (1976–1978)
Suzy Gutsy – bass guitar (1976)
Kate Korus – guitar (1976–1977)
Tessa Pollitt – bass guitar (1976–1982, 2005–2010)
Viv Albertine – guitar (1977–1982)
Budgie – drums (1978–1980)

Bruce Smith – drums (1980–1982)
Neneh Cherry – backing vocals (1981)
Hollie Cook – backing vocals (2005–2010)
Michelle Hill – guitar (2005–2010)
NO – guitar, backing vocals (2005–2010)
Anna Schulte – drums (2005–2010)
Adele Wilson – guitar (2005–2010)
Little Anna – keyboards, melodica (2007–2009)

Lineups

{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: width: 375px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;" width=99%

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1976

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1976–1978

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1978–1980

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1980–1982

| valign=top |

Ari Up – vocals
Kate Korus – guitar
Suzy Gutsy – bass guitar
Palmolive – drums

| valign=top |

Ari Up – vocals
Viv Albertine – guitar
Tessa Pollitt – bass guitar
Palmolive – drums

| valign=top |

Ari Up – vocals
Viv Albertine – guitar
Tessa Pollitt – bass guitar
Budgie – drums

| valign=top |

Ari Up – vocals
Viv Albertine – guitar
Tessa Pollitt – bass guitar
Bruce Smith – drums

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 1982–2005

! bgcolor="#E7EBEE" valign=top width=25% | 2005–2010

| valign=top |

Disbanded

| valign=top |

Ari Up – vocals
Hollie Cook – backing vocals
No – guitar, backing vocals
Adele Wilson – guitar
Michelle Hill – guitar
Tessa Pollitt – bass guitar
Anna Schulte – drums
Anna Ozawa – melodica, keyboard

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Cut (Island (UK) / Antilles (US), September 1979) – UK No. 30
Live at the Gibus Club (Castle Music / Sanctuary, February 2005 – recorded January 1978)

Singles and EPs

"Typical Girls" / "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Island (UK) / Antilles (US), September 1979, also issued as a 12-inch EP with additional alternate versions) UK No. 60
"In the Beginning There Was Rhythm" (Y, March 1980, split single with the Pop Group)
"Man Next Door" / "Man Next Door (version)" (Y, June 1980)
"Animal Space" / "Animal Spacier" (Human (UK), 1981, also issued as a 12-inch EP on Human (USA) with different tracks)
"Earthbeat" / "Earthdub" / "Begin Again, Rhythm" (CBS, August 1981 (UK), December 1981 (US), 7 inch single with the first 2 tracks, and 12 inch EP with 3 tracks)

In popular culture

The band’s name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song "Hot Topic".

References

External links

Girls Unconditional: The story of the Slits, told exclusively by the Slits at loadandquiet.com
The Slits, article by Rina Gribovsky
Interview with Tessa Pollit at 3 AM Magazine
Interview with Ari Up at Supersweet