09 December 2023 , 18:09
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It just wouldn’t be Christmas for millions of us without a singalong to Slade’s biggest hit. But there’s little festive season goodwill left among the band’s original members these days.
Fifty years after Merry Xmas Everybody first topped the charts, guitarist Dave Hill reveals there’s no “look to the future now” for the original Slade. He says he doesn’t speak to most of his former bandmates and there’s little chance of the charts-storming glam-rock quartet ever getting back together.
As he starts a tour to mark the famous song’s anniversary, Dave, 77, says: “That won’t happen, not even for a one-off gig. I cherish the memories of us years ago, but we’ve moved on in life and we’re all doing different things. Not everyone wants to continue. But Slade is not a job with me, it’s a life.”
He is now the only original member left in the band of today and, while he’s still friends with ex-lead singer Noddy Holder, he has no contact with bassist Jim Lea and drummer Don Powell.
Dave HillNoddy, 77, was the first to quit in 1992, weary of constant arguing in the band. Unwilling to work without Noddy, Jim followed suit – leaving just Dave and Don to continue. In 2010, all four band members held a meeting, hoping it could lead to a farewell tour reunion. But it quickly dissolved into arguments and, three years ago, Dave and Don parted ways. After the failed bid to get the group back on the road, Noddy said the experience was so painful he’d never want to repeat it. But Dave says: “I don’t feel sad about it at all. Everybody wanted to do different things.
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“Back in 1992 Noddy wanted to get into other things, possibly radio. I think he didn’t want to continue. But he’s a good pal and I respect his decision. I don’t see Jim or Don at all. But me and Nod have always been in tune with each other and if he was interested in doing something I’d not be against it. We see each other frequently. He comes to my house and we’ve always got something to talk about. Friendship is very important as you age. We’re friends for life.”
Hill in 2017 (James Shaw/REX/Shutterstock)The Wolverhampton band first formed in 1966 and shot to fame five years later with their first No1 Coz I Luv You. They went on to rack up a further 19 signature misspelled hits, including chart-toppers Mama Weer All Crazee Now and Take Me Bak ’Ome, with Dave embracing his yob image.
He splashed out on a four-bed detached house in an upmarket Birmingham suburb and bought a Rolls-Royce with a personalised ‘Yob 1’ number plate. With his trademark hairstyle, bizarre outfits and outrageous on-stage persona, Dave was the band’s most flamboyant member, stomping around in gigantic platform boots with a huge grin across his glitter-painted face.
“It was a wonderful time and I was always experimenting,” he says. “I once wore a long frock covered in mirrors. Someone said I looked like a metal nun. I’d buy extraordinarily bright things and walk through Woolworths. If people noticed me, I’d then wear it on stage. I had an unusual hairstyle with long sides and a short fringe which gave me room to glitter my forehead.”
Flamboyant: Slade in 1973 (Getty Images)It is Dave’s passion for performing that has him still touring into his late 70s with new Slade members John Berry, Russell Keefe and Alex Bines. But life hasn’t always been plain sailing for the rocker. In 2007, surgery for a double hernia triggered a two-year battle with depression and OCD.
“I lost confidence and became insecure,” says Dave. “I’d even get nervous about kicking my leg out on stage in case it caused another hernia. I got depressed. Music stopped sounding as good and I wasn’t as emotional.
“It affected the whole family as I wasn’t my usual cheery self. Then I started to get a bit of OCD – thinking, ‘I’d better not do this or that’, and I began washing my hands excessively.”
Dave had a series of psychiatrists and credits a combination of medication and the birth of his first grandchild for prompting the start of his recovery. “It gave me something that was good again,” he says. But his troubles weren’t over. In 2010, he had a stroke on stage at a concert in Germany which he feared would threaten his career.
“I remember thinking, ‘Is it over?’” he says. “My arm was floppy and I couldn’t even wash my hair. I didn’t know if I’d play the guitar again.” But he made a full recovery and feels better than ever ahead of Slade’s tour.
Hill at home in Solihull (Mirrorpix)While Noddy’s distinctive vocals on hits including Gudbuy T’Jane and Far Far Away were a defining part of Slade, Dave says fans accept him singing the songs now. “I was nervous,” he admits. “When you’ve had a lead singer like Nod, it took time to get used to the idea. But a lot of bands have original members missing and I think the audience still enjoy the songs if you play them well.”
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Now a grandad of six, Dave still lives in Wolverhampton with Jan, his wife of 50 years. The pair have children Jade, Bibi and Sam. Despite his age, his glam rock image remains.
Slade on a Christmas show in 1973 (Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)“I still wear silver and gold, but I wear a hat now – as you get older you lose your hair,” he laughs. “Nothing would take me away from performing. Someone said recently I was running round the stage like a toddler. I took that as a compliment.”
While Merry Xmas Everybody will dominate the airwaves again this month, this year also marks the 50th anniversary of two of the band’s other number ones – Cum On Feel The Noize and Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me.
“None of us could have imagined in 1973 how these songs would last so long,” Dave says. “It’s a great feeling they stand up now as good as they did in 1973. That was one heck of a year – there were strikes and all sorts of problems, not unlike today,” Dave reflects. “But through that there was joy in our music.”
As for their Christmas hit, Dave – whose heartwarming autobiography is now on sale – promises to perform it whatever the season.
“I remember playing Reading Festival and we didn’t want to do it as it was summer, but the audience demanded it,” he says. “When you think about it, it’s a hit. It doesn’t matter to the public that it’s not Christmas. I could do that song even if it’s 100 degrees outside.”