Slade at the Guitar Guinness World Record: British glam rock at Wrocław’s guitar celebration

The kings of glam rock sold more singles in the 1970s than any other British band, including over a million copies of their biggest hit, “Merry Xmas Everybody”. They have remained on stage for more than half a century and, despite several line-up changes, have never suspended their activities.

The band members grew up in the West Midlands in central England and first crossed paths in 1964. By 1966, they were playing together as The 'N Betweens. They were then fascinated by blues, rhythm and blues and Tamla Motown, and their first singles reflected those sounds. In 1969, as Ambrose Slade, they released their eclectic debut, “Beginnings”, which was unsuccessful. Jimi Hendrix’s manager Chas Chandler suggested changing their image. The next album, “Play It Loud”, recorded under the name Slade, had a different, more rock-oriented character, and the band members began dressing like skinheads.

To everyone's surprise, the album was a commercial failure. Chandler's next suggestion, however, hit the mark: the energetic 1971 single “Get Down and Get with It” reached number one in the British charts. As would soon become clear, this was only the beginning of success for a band who would dominate Britain's music scene for more than a decade.

Slade’s members grew their hair long and began wearing extravagant clothes and platform shoes. Alongside David Bowie, T. Rex, Queen and Gary Glitter, they led the glam-rock revolution. Their singles entered the British sales Top Twenty seventeen times, with six reaching number one. Hits such as “Take Me Bak 'Ome”, “Run Runaway”, “Mama Weer All Crazy Now” and “Gudbye T' Jane” sold hundreds of thousands, while 1973’s “Merry Xmas Everybody” exceeded a million copies.

The band toured constantly worldwide and released warmly received albums. Just when their run of success seemed endless, the late-1970s punk wave swept the giants of glam and progressive rock from the stage. Slade’s crisis lasted until August 1980, when chance came to their aid. Ozzy Osbourne cancelled his Reading Festival appearance at the last moment, and the group were brought in as a late replacement. Close to breaking up, they delivered one of their greatest-ever concerts to a 65,000-strong crowd and completely conquered the festival. This led to a return to the charts and the recovery of their recently lost popularity.

Since then, Slade have continued to ride the wave despite their difficulties. The most serious came in 1991, when singer Noddy Holder left and the group performed for a time as Slade II. Their music has proved astonishingly timeless. New musical fashions periodically reduced their popularity, but the band retained loyal fans and could still fill concert halls effortlessly. Their influence extends across metal—Kiss, Poison, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard—alternative rock and grunge—Nirvana, Oasis and The Smashing Pumpkins—and punk rock—Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Clash and The Damned. Despite the passing years, the British band still tour regularly, and their Wrocław appearance will offer further proof that guitar-driven rock never grows old.

The concert will take place on 1 May at the Pergola in the Centennial Hall complex, opening Wrocław’s biggest festival, 3-Majówka 2019, which brings together stars from Poland and abroad every year. Kult, Nocny Kochanek, Pidżama Porno, IRA, Happysad, Łąki Łan, Decapitated, Krzysztof Zalewski, Ania Dąbrowska, Mery Spolsky and Albo Inaczej are among the first names on the long list of artists appearing in Wrocław from 1 to 3 May.