Review: Slade, Robin 2, Bilston
The glory days of platform shoes, flares and big sideburns may be long gone, but two original members of Slade have proved they can turn the clock back to the 1970s and entertain a packed audience.
The latest incarnation of the Black Country band featuring guitarist Dave Hill and drummer Don Powell took to the stage at the Robin 2 in Bilston last night and tore through a set of the band's classic hits.
By the time they walked out at 10pm, the audience was ready to go 'crazee' and the veterans did not disappoint.
Kicking off with Gudbuy T'Jane and Take Me Bak 'Ome, they had the crowd bouncing throughout their set that drew heavily on their early 1970s peak.
Veteran guitarist Dave Hill, wearing his trademark hat and a pair of silver trousers, churned out the riffs and had the fans playing air guitar as he blasted out his solos.
Dave, who grew up in Penn, has kept the Slade name going with original drummer Don Powell despite iconic frontman Noddy Holder leaving in 1991. His replacement Mal McNulty is taking a back seat himself soon – and the group has been holding auditions in secret to prevent fans turning for a jam with the band.
It was as if they had 700 hopefuls vying for the job last night as the whole audience bellowed out the famous choruses to Coz I Luv You, Everyday and Far Far Away.
Though no-one could match Noddy's powerhouse vocals, Mal comes close and hits the high notes with ease.
They saved the biggest favourites for last, with an encore of the call-and-response Get Down and Get With It before the anthemic Cum on Feel the Noize brought the show to a close.
John Darby
