“Christmas for me is all about memories of childhood and excitement when you went to bed early and I got up with my sister Carol at 4 am looking for presents. Now it’s all about my lovely grandkids and their excitement, it’s all about family”…
By Ian Woolley
So says Slade’s guitarist Dave Hill after I asked him what Christmas meant to him personally. He should know because when the glam rock band from Wolverhampton topped the 1973 charts with “Merry Xmas Everybody”, it gave them their most successful year. Now 50 years on, founder member Dave Hill keeps those memories alive.
Dave Hill
“It was an incredible year for us because we had worked so long and had some hits the previous two years. That led up to ’73 and your feet weren’t touching the ground and there was so much going on. Now we’re talking 50 years on from such a time and such a wonderful time really and the best way of viewing it”.
“It’s the same for Slade as what happens is the people who liked us in the first place are probably 50 or 60 but they’ve had kids and they’ve heard the stuff. Then their kids have had kids who play what their dad played with grandad’s music. I’ve got a lot of that going on in my life because I’m a grandad myself and I think the longevity of the songs as we’ve been having hits for more like 53 years now. I’ve been on the road probably never giving it up”.
Slade
We know what people come to see, especially at Christmas time, and it’s been a difficult year. To bring a bit of joy right now would be very useful as people are struggling with finances and things so coming along to see us and having a good night out is kind of getting away from it”.
“Hopefully, it will help people feel good about something you know and those are the memorable songs I remember. Sometimes people come to see us and say blimey, I’d forgotten that one. I play an hour and fifty and still have more hits in my pocket if I decide to do more than one encore and there are not many bands that can do that. We’ve influenced so many bands and people who have taken up a guitar and things like that. It’s a wonderful experience to be in this and doing the thing you love”.
“Leading up to ’73, we’d had these hits, and after “Noize” and “Skweeze Me” came out it led us up to the ultimate Christmas song which we just thought was a good idea. We didn’t think it would be a big hit. We just thought people might like it. We weren’t known for Christmas songs but it was a rock song and it wasn’t jingle bells but boy did it sell. I remember there was this newspaper article that said this song has lifted people when they were going through strikes, difficulties, power cuts, three-day weeks and things like that. It’s a bit like that now and I think being out on the road and bringing joy to people will really help the situation”.
“That Christmas song helped people but we got more than that because we’re not just a Christmas band. As it turns out, the festive tune brings in half a million quid a year in royalties and has returned to the UK charts 27 times. You can bet it will be again this year bringing writer Noddy a guaranteed pension plan for the rest of his life.
the current lineup of Dave Hill’s Slade
In Dave’s current Slade lineup, Russell Keafe (keyboards), John Berry (bass and violin) and Alex Bines (drums). “John’s been with me for over 20 years and he’s just a great guy and Alex was in Wilko and is a great rock drummer. It’s a great band and we are so in tune with each other and it’s such a good atmosphere”.
“Whilst I still find joy in it, and while I still feel there is a massive audience out there. Whether that be 5000 or even 20, it exists because people love the past”.
“The experience of such a fine time and a fun era in the history of music I think”.
Are there any other Christmas records that are a particular favourite of Dave Hill?
“When I was very young it was Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”, I always like the Ronettes Christmas album too”.
Tell me your ideal Christmas.
“I like to be at home on Christmas day, we have a very big family, so we have to see each other on different days. I’ll end up watching repeats on TV and falling asleep after all the lovely UK tour dates we’ve done ha ha”…
One Christmas wish. What would it be?
“I guess my Christmas wish is more about hope for everyone, we are all living in very difficult times and the lack of love for each other worldwide is very concerning, yet if we all showed love for each other we could hopefully find a way to heal us all”.
Finally, what special message would you like us to give to your fans…
“I would like to say to all the fans…Thank you for all your support over the years we hope to see some of you at our UK Christmas Shows in December. There will be lots of love, laughter, memories, and good times enjoying the music of Slade. So be with us and celebrate fifty years of Noize and Merry Christmas Everybody. Let’s look to the future and hope it will get better for us all”.
One thing is certain, you can be sure that ‘THAT’ Christmas song will once again be sung by all their fans at every gig they play during this year’s festive period!
Read the full interview we had with Dave Hill in the December issue of the Beat. Dave talks about their early skinhead look, those misspelled song titles, how he decided on that glam rock stage persona, and their glam rock fans.
An interview you won’t want to miss!!
Read our review of Slade’s current tour HERE
Slade 2023 tour dates
Next year, the band will play in Czechia in March and Germany in August.
UK gig tickets HERE
For more information, go to www.davehillslade.com