In his latest column, the Tameside Radio presenter looks back on Slade's career and their upcoming tour.

They will always be known for writing and recording arguably the best Christmas song ever, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, but Slade were so much more than that. 

They have had more than 20 top twenty hits, six number ones, and a huge back catalogue of glam rock ‘n’ roll anthems that most bands can only dream of. 

Formed in Wolverhampton in 1966, the four-piece are one of the best, and most successful British bands of all time. 

Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, Dave Hill and Don Powell dominated the charts in the early 1970s, and with hits such as ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ ‘Get Down And Get With It’, Gudbye T’Jane’, ‘The Bangin’ Man’ and many more, they were one of the hardest working bands around. 

Their live shows were second to none, loud, lively, rock ‘n’ roll at its best, and with a heavy sound they found themselves influencing a whole generation of bands and musicians, and still do to this very day. 

In the band’s early years, colour televisions had just arrived, and the clothes they wore when performing on shows such as Top of the Pops made a statement that nobody would forget. They were the kings of glam rock and they owned the scene at that time. 

The band’s sound was unique, nobody at the time compared, and no other band sold as many singles in the ‘70s as Slade. 

Merry Xmas Everybody was recorded in the summer of 1973 in New York, and when it was released in December of the same year it instantly sold over one million copies. It’s been in and out of the charts every year since, and since downloads started being included as part of the singles chart in 2007, the song has ended up in the top 20 at Christmas every year since. 

The original line-up split up in 1992, but Dave Hill and Don Powell found new members and kept the band going. 

The line-up has changed since, but Dave Hill still tours constantly as Slade, selling out venues all over the world, playing an amazing live show packed with hit after hit. 

This weekend sees Dave Hill and Slade start a huge UK tour, visiting Manchester on Sunday, December 19 when they play the O2 Ritz.

Slade are one of the most important bands of all time, and I believe the rock ‘n’ roll music scene would have been a different place without them. 

Dave Hill joins me this Monday night from 7pm on my Tameside Radio show, to talk more about the band’s 55 year career, their forthcoming tour, and that one song that is as much a part of our Christmas as Santa and Rudolph.

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