In Conversation Cover Feature: 1972

A Veronica Dave Hill Spotlight

Published on December 9, 1972, Veronica Magazine’s cover and four-page feature “Slade In Conversation” spotlighted guitarist Dave Hill — the flamboyant “Silent Knight” of Slade. The article delved into Hill’s guitar wizardry, his stage persona, the band’s meteoric rise, and the craze for their glam-rock anthems. A deep dive into Slade at their 1972 peak.

Feature Overview

Publication Details

Magazine: Veronica Magazine (UK).

Date: December 9, 1972.

Format: Cover + four-page feature. Do you have this Veronica cover in your

archive? Did Dave's conversation rock you? Share in the comments!

SLADE

text: Thijs Wartenbergh

photos: Adrie Noordstrand

During the visit of the English band Slade to the Netherlands, our correspondent Thijs Wartenbergh spoke with lead guitarist Dave Hill. Bassist and violinist Jim Lea was also present, as was drummer Don Powell, who absently browsed through "Veronica 538" and spoke occasionally, but otherwise didn't participate in the conversation. Singer Noddy Holder appeared to be still asleep and joined them later. He sounded a bit hoarse, and when asked if he was straining his voice, Noddy replied:

"Because of all those performances, it's bothering me more and more. So I'm now using a gargling solution." Then, in true English fashion, he orders a cup of tea.

Skinheads

Slade formed about six years ago in Wolverhampton. They initially called themselves Ambrose Slade, and only later simply Slade. Things didn't really start to take off for the guys until manager Chas Chandler (bassist in the Ani-mals and discoverer, producer, and manager of Jimi Hendrix) got involved with the group. Sla-de cut their hair short to fit in with the "skinhead" trend, which was quite popular in London at the time. As a result,

Slade wasn't in high demand by venue owners because they feared the Skinheads who came to see Slade would cause trouble. Dave Hill says of that time: "We did have a bad image back then, but that was because of the press. They didn't write very well about us, even though the Skinheads in general were so captivated by our performance that they didn't even think about causing any more damage."

After a single on Philips, their first album, "Play It Loud," was released on Polydor. This album didn't achieve very high sales figures, but Slade did gain a certain following with their wild live act. "Get Down and Get With It" became their first hit, after having been a popular song in the hall for some time.

The requested song had been. This was quickly followed by "Because I love you," "Look who you are," "Mama weer all crazee now," and their current hit, "Goodbuy 'T Jane."

What was the big turning point for Slade? Dave: "That was our performance at the Lincoln Festival. There were 50,000 people there, and the Faces and the Beach Boys were there too. Yet, we were more successful than those two established bands. We got a lot of press attention back then, pages and pages of it, even. And that was very important to us, because the audience accepted us, and they no longer saw Slade as just another hit band."

How did that sound of stomping shoes and clapping hands on your records come about? Dave says: "It was a complete coincidence, and we didn't

have to put in much effort, as people sometimes say. We always wore thick shoes and would stomp on the floor with them during our performances. We did that once in the studio during a recording with echoes, and it sounded just amazing. Later, we added the hand clapping."

Jim Lea is the only one in the group who studied music, with his favorite instrument being the violin. Jim had played in an orchestra before, which isn't surprising considering he comes from a very musical family. Did that education help you?

Did you ever think you'd end up in a band like Slade? Jim: "Honestly, no, but I once saw an ad in a music magazine looking for a bassist. And I think I've benefited from having studied music.

Nice mashing

Dave, your music is always very simple and direct. "Yes, but don't forget that the best music is also the simplest music. We simply make music we like. Our average audience is 15 or 16, and that's not an age for difficult music; you want to hear simple, hard music. For example, we don't play long solos in the hall. We're targeting audiences who haven't consciously experienced the Stones and Beatles era. Our audience doesn't like vague music, and neither do we, for that matter. They can identify with Slade and they can happily stomp and sing along to our music. That's great, what more could you want?"

Is it difficult to write short songs? Dave: "That's certainly not easy at all. And if possible, it also has to be originally simple. You have to try to squeeze everything into three or four minutes, and that usually comes together in the studio. Noddy and Don usually write most of our songs. But the four of us finish something like that, and that often happens in the studio."

Glitter-image

Many bands currently have a very feminine image (at least in terms of appearance), with David Bowie, Edgar Winter, Lou Reed, and Alice Cooper as prime examples. Incidentally, the latter loves to paint his face, and other pop artists also do makeup. Alvin Lee of Ten Years After recently wondered what that had to do with music, and I'm happy to agree. The Sweet also has a knack for daubing his face (with a few stripes, of course) and also appears in skirts. Slade's Dave Hill sprinkles silver glitter in his hair before a performance and also glues glittery patterns on his face. Furthermore, satin is the main clothing material, and everything has to be exceptionally tight. And of course, the infamous shoes with insanely high heels. Slade is also known as a "rough" band, and Dave says: "That's a carryover from our Skinhead period, and it's not something that developed gradually with us; it was just there. The audience apparently liked that, and of course, we kept it that way."

The parents of your fans will probably hate Slade's music and image. Dave: "That's a sign that we're good. Our music isn't meant for those parents either, but

for the kids. (Dave keeps talking about the kids, meaning boys and girls aged 14 or 15. During the concert in Amsterdam, that category isn't prominent at all. Do you realize that Slade has a huge influence on a large part of the youth? "We do, but we're definitely not a bad influence on them. Bands generally do have control over the youth, but we just want the audience to have fun.

Slade is releasing a new LP in December, and all the songs for that album are already finished. Dave: "Our first LP, 'Play It Loud,' gave us experience working in the studio. Now we've gotten the same "live feel" as the venue in the studio. And it's okay to have the occasional mistake, as long as the atmosphere comes across well. Our live LP may not have been that great, but we did show what it's like to put on a show. I think our new LP is an improvement musically. It has one song by Janis Joplin (singer Noddy Holder has a beautiful voice for singing Janis Joplin songs), and the rest are our own."

Stage fright

Do you or any of the others ever suffer from stage fright? Dave says: "No, we're bursting with confidence. We always play as if the room is ours. Even during the Lincoln Festival, which is a major gig."

When we were playing in Wolverhampton, we weren't nervous. When we played in Wolverhampton recently, we were considered local heroes. My parents came to watch, and that was actually the only time I was a bit nervous.

What do you owe your success to? Dave: "We've worked incredibly hard, and we certainly don't owe our success to luck. It wasn't unexpected either, because in the years we've been playing together, we've always believed in it. Otherwise, you might as well quit. In those five years, we've gotten to know each other well: both in the bad times and now, in the good times. As a unit, Slade is very strong, and I believe that if one of the guys were to leave the group, for whatever reason, it would be over for Slade. We'll never get the group back to where it is now." As we walk to Museumplein

Jim says, "I think the Netherlands has two disadvantages. First, it's flat, and second, people keep their curtains open late at night. That would be very unusual for us. You know, when we performed here at Paradiso a few months ago, we went to the Concertgebouw at night and said to each other: it would be great if we could perform here sometime. And as you can see, we did it."

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