slits

Here’s a fun factoid about Slits: before the all-female British punk band made any real mark on the scene they opened up for the Clash on a regular basis—and borrowed their equipment so they could play. So, no big shocker to find out that we’re big fans of the band here at LIAS.

It’s been over 25 years since we’ve seen an album from the Slits. Their debut release Cut, came on Island Records 30 years ago this year. A tribal looking, mud smeared, and almost naked Ari Up on the cover was a beautiful thing! I know Chris Blackwell hasn’t had anything to do with Island Records in a while, but it would have been pretty sweet if they released Trapped Animal too. The Slits are celebrating a b-day and Island is on their 50th. Seems logical. Oh well, Narnack Records wins. Look for Trapped Animal on October 6. The current Slits lineup features original members Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt along with Hollie Cook (daughter of Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook), Anna Schlute and Adele Wilson. I had a listen to the new album the other day and I’m into it, which was a nice surprise. There’s a reason why they’re considered one of the most significant female punk-rock bands and their history isn’t lost on this new album. Expect the same amalgamation of punk and reggae and that satiric, tongue-in-cheek, falsetto charm. A lot of these kinda albums end up making you long for the days gone by. Not the case here—Ari got up on this album.

In addition to the new album there’s a book coming out soon called, Typical Girls? The Story Of The Slits, which was written by Zoe Street Howe. And if you’re interested, I found this interview with the author here.

And just because I’m in a reminiscing mood now, here’s a great clip from Don Letts’ cult classic, The Punk Rock Movie featuring the Slits. If you haven’t seen the film and you’re at all interested in the British punk rock scene and the bands, you’re not going to see anything more real unless you were there and have first hand knowledge.

And here’s a segment called “Women In Punk” that was featured in another Don Letts’ film called, Punk: Attitude.

And here’s a video for their track “Typical Girls” from the album Cut

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