GetWiki

{{Short description|British punk rock band}}{{Redirect|Slits|other uses|Slit (disambiguation)}}{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

factoids

The Slits were a punk rock 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. Their 1979 debut album, Cut, has been called one of the defining releases of the post-punk era.{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r2277563|label="The Slits: Cut" |first=John |last=Dougan |access-date=5 October 2011}}

Career

1976–1982

The Slits formed in 1976 when Ari Up went to a Patti Smith gig. After having an argument with her mother, Ari was approached by Palmolive and Kate Korris with the offer to form a band. The next day they had their first rehearsal.The group supported the Clash on their 1977 White Riot tour along with Buzzcocks, the Jam, the Prefects and Subway Sect.{{cn|date=January 2024}} 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.weblink {{dead link|date=September 2019}} Joe Strummer said the group would be "great" with intense gigging.BOOK, Coon, Caroline, Caroline Coon, 1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion,weblink 19 September 2011, 1977, Hawthorn, London, 0-8015-6129-9, 79262599, 26 October 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071026052834weblink">weblink dead, Palmolive left the band in 1978 and debuted with The Raincoats on 4 January 1979.Ian Penman: The Raincoats Dresden Banks Vincent Units Acklam Hall. In: New Musical Express 27 January 1979, page 43. She was replaced by the drummer Budgie (Peter Clarke), formerly of the Spitfire Boys and later of Siouxsie and the Banshees. With the change of drummer came a change of musical style. The Slits' originally raw, raucous and drum-dominated live sound, as captured on two Peel Sessions in 1977 and 1978, was cleaned up and polished to a more bass-orientated sound with the Budgie line up, and their new style drew heavily from reggae, dub and world music.File:The Slits-24.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Ari Up playing with the Slits at the Beat the Blues Festival, Alexandra PalaceAlexandra PalaceTheir Dennis Bovell-produced debut album Cut was released in September 1979 on Island Records, with Neneh Cherry joining as additional backing vocalist. The album's sleeve art depicted the band naked, except for mud and loincloths. It is often claimed that Palmolive left partly because she did not like the album artwork,BOOK, David, Roberts, 1998, Guinness Rockopedia, 1st, Guinness Publishing Ltd., London, 397, 0-85112-072-5, registration,weblink including by Palmolive herself,WEB,weblink The Pilgrimage of Palmolive - Tom Tom Magazine, 25 February 2014, Tomtommag.com, 25 June 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304060522weblink">weblink 4 March 2016, dead, but Viv Albertine has stated that Palmolive had been asked to leave the band several months previously,Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys; Viv Albertine; Faber & Faber 2014, p. 205 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. Ari Up went on to be part of the New Age Steppers.

2005–2010

Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt reformed the band with new members in 2005, as Viv Albertine was unwilling to rejoin, and in 2006 released the EP Revenge of the Killer Slits.WEB, {{AllMusic, artist, p14289/biography, yes, |title=Biography by John Dougan |publisher=Allmusic.com |access-date=23 April 2009}} 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.WEB,weblink The Slits – Revenge Of The Killer Slits, Discogs, 13 July 2023, 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.NEWS, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,weblink Music Preview: The Slits are back with a Pistols daughter, 20 March 2008, Scott, Mervis, 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.Slits Set for U.S. Summer Tour {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113121620weblink |date=13 January 2009 }} Pitchfork Media, 6 July 2007. 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,BOOK, 978-1-84772-780-0, Typical Girls: The Story of the Slits, Zoe Street Howe, 2009, Omnibus Press, all, and the band's third full-length album entitled Trapped Animal was released three months later.WEB, Ross, Dalton,weblink The Slits: lady-punk legends to return with first full-length since 1981 Entertainment Weekly 29 June 2009, Music-mix.ew.com, 29 June 2009, 21 February 2012, 1 July 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090701001216weblink">weblink dead, Founding member Ari Up died in Los Angeles in October 2010 at the age of 48.NEWS, The New York Times, Ari Up, a Founder of the Slits Punk Band, Dies at 48, Colin, Moynihan, 22 October 2010, A33,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110921032623weblink">weblink 21 September 2011, live, The band's final work, the video for the song "Lazy Slam" from Trapped Animal, was released posthumously according to Ari Up's wishes.WEB

Personnel

Members

{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

• 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)

{{col-2}}

• Bruce Smith – drums (1980–1982)
• Neneh Cherry – backing vocals (1981)WEB,weblink A Beginner's Guide to Neneh Cherry's Essential Songs, Electronicbeats.net, 12 November 2015, WEB,weblink The Slits - In Conclusion, Punk77.co.uk,
• 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 – melodica (2007–2009)

{{col-end}}

Lineups{| class"toccolours" border1 cellpadding2 cellspacing0 style"float: width: 375px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;" width99%

! 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

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

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

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

• 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% | 2005–2010Disbanded

• 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

{{#tag:timeline|ImageSize = width:1000 height:auto barincrement:22PlotArea = left:90 bottom:60 top:0 right:15Alignbars = justifyDateFormat = mm/dd/yyyyPeriod = from:01/01/1976 till:10/20/2010TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyyLegend = orientation:horizontal position:bottomScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1976ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1977Colors = BackgroundColors = bars:barsLineData = BarData = PlotData= }}

Discography

Studio albums

• Cut (Island (UK) / Antilles (US), September 1979) – UK No. 30
• Return of the Giant Slits (CBS, October 1981)
• Trapped Animal (Narnack, 2009)

Compilation albums

• The Slits/Bootleg Retrospective/Untitled (Y Records, May 1980)
• Double Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit, November 1988)
• In the Beginning (Jungle, 1997)BOOK, Martin C., Strong, 2000, The Great Rock Discography, 5th, Mojo Books, Edinburgh, 894/895, 1-84195-017-3,
• Live at the Gibus Club (Castle Music / Sanctuary, February 2005 – recorded January 1978)WEB, Unterberger, Richie, {{AllMusic, album, r739066, yes, |title=album overview – accessed April 2009 |publisher=Allmusic.com |access-date=21 February 2012}}

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. 60BOOK, David, Roberts, 2006, British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, Guinness World Records Limited, London, 1-904994-10-5, 508,
• "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)
• "American Radio Interview (Winter 1980)" / "Face Dub" (CBS, October 1981, bonus record included with Return of the Giant Slits album, side one plays at 33 rpm)
• The Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit, February 1987)
• Revenge of the Killer Slits (2006) 7"/CD Maxi single (Only Lovers Left Alive/EXO)

Documentary

In 2018 a documentary film was released, Here To Be Heard: The Story of The Slits.NEWS, Bradshaw, Peter, Here to Be Heard: The Story of the Slits review – rise of the punk pranksters,weblink 9 October 2022, The Guardian, 23 March 2018,

In popular culture

The band’s name appears in the lyrics of the Le Tigre song "Hot Topic."WEB,weblink 57 Champions of Queer Feminism, All Name-Dropped in One Impossibly Catchy Song, Tammy, Oler, 31 October 2019, Slate Magazine,

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Girls Unconditional: The story of the Slits, told exclusively by the Slits at loadandquiet.com
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060925014756weblink">The Slits, article by Rina Gribovsky
• Interview with Tessa Pollit at 3 AM Magazine
• Interview with Ari Up at Supersweet

{{commons category-inline}}{{The Slits}}{{Authority control}}