SLADE (Live)

At the O2 Academy, Newcastle, U.K., December 5, 2018

SLADE (Live at the O2 Academy, Newcastle, U.K., December 5, 2018)
Photo: Mick Burgess

You know that Christmas is just around the corner when you hear the soothing tones of Noddy Holder bellowing “IT’S CHRISTMAAAASSSSSSS!!!!” out of every radio and shopping centre across the country. If truth be told, that seems to start from the middle of August and gets earlier every year.

Slade have been perennial favourites on the live circuit for decades and with Merry Christmas Everybody celebrating it’s 45th birthday this year, it was time to don the top hats and glitter suits for a run of Christmas shows to mark this prestigious event.

Although only guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell remain with Noddy Holder and Jim Lea involved in a multitude of other projects their replacements Mal McNulty and John Berry proved more than capable.

With a bagful of hits, Slade simply couldn’t fail kicking off with Gudbuy T’Jane, Take Me Bak ‘Ome and Look Wot You Dun causing palpitations for grammar students everywhere but sounding loud, proud and brash with Dave Hill ever the flamboyant showman and at 72 still possessing more energy and enthusiasm than men half his age. Hill too, was eager to praise the impact of Geordie manager, Chas Chandler of The Animals fame, on the career of Slade and his respect and affection for Chandler was clear for everyone to see.

Everyday was a rare moment of reflection from Wolverhampton’s finest but the Highland Fling of Run Run Away soon built up a head of steam. In For A Penny and Far Far Away from the soundtrack to their legendary movie Slade In Flame and the fiddle fuelled My Friend Stan kept the hit quota on track.

With their football terrace, chant-a-long chorus’s Slade thrive on stage and it’s easy to see why they proved so influential on so many Rock bands including KISS, Cheap Trick and Quiet Riot over the years.

Mama Weer All Crazee Now and the foot stomping, handclapping Get Down Get With It were suitably boisterous while My Oh My had a multitude of arms waving in the air but it was left to the anthemic Cum On Feel The Noize and the ultimate Christmas party evergreen, Merry Christmas Everybody, complete with Santa hats, to send everyone home in the festive spirit.

Review and Photos By Mick Burgess

Author

  • Mick Burgess

    Mick is a reviewer and photographer here at Metal Express Radio, based in the North-East of England. He first fell in love with music after hearing Jeff Wayne's spectacular The War of the Worlds in the cold winter of 1978. Then in the summer of '79 he discovered a copy of Kiss Alive II amongst his sister’s record collection, which literally blew him away! He then quickly found Van Halen I and Rainbow's Down To Earth, and he was well on the way to being rescued from Top 40 radio hell!   Over the ensuing years, he's enjoyed the Classic Rock music of Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, and Deep Purple; the AOR of Journey and Foreigner; the Pomp of Styx and Kansas; the Progressive Metal of Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, and Symphony X; the Goth Metal of Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Epica, and a whole host of other great bands that are too numerous to mention. When he's not listening to music, he watches Sunderland lose more football (soccer) matches than they win, and occasionally, if he has to, he goes to work as a property lawyer.

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1 Comment

  1. They were brilliant, loud and engaging. Don Powell signing copies of his book and posing with fans for pictures. Dave Hill paying tribute to Chas Chandler and to Newcastle as a city. Fantastic

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