Glam rock legends Slade to be immortalised with giant statue in Wolverhampton city centre

A £31,000 fundraising campaign has been launched to create a permanent monument celebrating the Wolverhampton band's musical legacy, with hopes it could be unveiled next year.

Plans for a giant statue celebrating one of Wolverhampton's most famous musical exports have been unveiled, with fans travelling from across the world to see the proposed tribute to glam rock legends Slade.

The three-metre-tall monument, designed by West Midlands artist Luke Perry, aims to capture the excitement, flamboyance and larger-than-life personalities of the band, who became one of Britain's biggest musical acts of the 1970s.

The plans were revealed at Wolverhampton Arts Centre on Saturday, with Wolverhampton Music Heritage launching a £31,000 fundraising campaign to bring the project to life.

The proposed statue, which will measure 3m high, 2.5m wide and 1.5m deep, will feature some of the band's most recognisable characteristics, including their celebrated top hats and flares.

It is hoped the monument will be installed in Wolverhampton city centre, although an exact location has yet to be confirmed.

Artist Luke Perry said he wanted to create something that would instantly evoke the spirit of Slade and the glam rock era, while paying tribute to a band he had known since childhood.

"I was really happy to be involved because being from the West Midlands I've been aware of Slade my whole life, and when I was a kid my auntie used to run the Robin Hood pub near Merry Hill, where I saw Noddy, if not the whole band, playing there when I was little.

"The statue has got to be glam rock, glitzy and exciting, because that's what they were as a band.

"Visually it's got to do them justice, and having spoken to big fans of the band we've come up with some key features of Slade that will be replicated in the statue.

"It's going to be made out of steel galvanised in Wolverhampton, and even if you don't know anything about the band you'll be able to tell that they were exciting and sensational."

Mr Perry said the statue would take around eight months to produce, although the project is still awaiting official approval.

"If you add all the processes together I imagine it will take about eight months to make, but we're still waiting for the official go ahead.

"I hope it will be done next year."

The campaign has a projected unveiling date of September 2027, although this remains an estimate.

Slade, who formed in 1963, went on to achieve worldwide success, selling more than 50 million records and securing six UK number one singles.

The band enjoyed 17 consecutive Top 20 hits, with songs including Merry Xmas Everybody and Cum On Feel the Noize becoming enduring favourites.

Their success helped put Wolverhampton on the international music map, and campaigners believe a permanent monument in the city centre would be a fitting recognition of their achievements.

Fans travelled from across the world to attend Saturday's announcement, with one supporter saying the plans showed the band were "finally being acknowledged".

Andy Boden, from Wolverhampton Music Heritage, said the statue would celebrate Slade's legacy and bring their achievements to the attention of the wider public.

The organisation, which is managing the project, said the band had left an indelible mark on the music industry, inspiring generations of musicians while helping establish Wolverhampton's place in popular music history.

Campaigners are now seeking to raise the £31,000 needed to construct the monument, with supporters able to contribute through the Slade Monument Wolverhampton fundraising campaign.

Further information about the project is available at wmh.rocks.