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The Slits
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Slits were a British band from London, one of the first all-female groups of punk and later post-punk. They formed in October 1976, after the fourteen-year-old Ari Up was asked to start a band following a Patti Smith concert at the Hammersmith Odeon. Together with Palmolive, Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt she formed the first line-up. In 1977 the group toured with The Clash, and part of those performances can be seen in The Punk Rock Movie.
Music and breakthrough
The sound changed when the drummer Palmolive left in 1978 and Budgie succeeded her. The raw, drum-dominated sound of the Peel Sessions was built more on the bass and took a lot from reggae, dub and world music. That was how the debut album Cut sounded, produced by Dennis Bovell and released in September 1979 on Island Records. Neneh Cherry sang along as an extra vocalist. The sleeve showed the band members covered in mud and wearing loincloths, and became almost as famous as the music. After that the band became more experimental, collaborated with The Pop Group and released Return of the Giant Slits in 1981, before stopping in 1982.
Influence
In 2005 the group returned with Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt and new members. Trapped Animal appeared in 2009. After the death of Ari Up in 2010 the band stopped. Cut is regarded as one of the defining records of post-punk, and the group showed how punk could open up to dub and rhythm.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1979Cut
- 1981Return of the Giant Slits
- 2009Trapped Animal