How much longer can Slade bring the house down?

 

SLADE, who tried to bring the house down at Exeter University last Friday with one of the loudest concerts on record, are no strangers to the Great Hall.

Local rockabilly band, Rockin' Mike and the Thunderbirds, used the rag ball for their debut on the Great Hall stage, having spent many playing hours tucked aay in the refectory. Many people would have missed our local rockers because they started their set at 7.45 p.m. -- almost an hour before the normal starting time for University concerts

They quickly overcame the difficulties of playing in such a vast hall and were well received by the early comers.It should not be long before Rockin' Mike and his fellow musicians extend their enthusiastic following in Devon to a much wider audience. As it was the Rag Ball, it was impossible to hear and review all the musical attractions without the aid of a route map and a pair of roller skates. The Cadillacs, in the Refectory -- advertised as ex Racing cars--were slow off the mark and slipped into a watered down , washed out West Coast sound. Export were the official support band and played music that can best be described as heavy cabaret, clean cut and pleasant, but with no guts.

Slade's return to the charts and major venues resulted from their sensational reception at the Reading Festival, but how would the group fare at an indoor concert? They certainly had the crowd on their side long before taking the stage. A full ten minutes before they started to play the audience were singing the refrain from their currentsingle, We'll Bring The House Down

The sound system spread from the sides of the stage to within a few feet of the centre, leaving Slade on a postage stamp size space on which to perform.The reason for the huge P.A. was apparent from the first note. Slade are very, very loud and I am still nursing the headache to prove it.

It is difficult to explain why such a popular band - they had 11 top five hits between 1971 and 1974 -- suddenly dropped out of favour with the public, but the Exeter concert provided one clue. The band have no subtely and offer no light and shade. Songs from the band's forthcoming album like "Night Starvation" and "The Wheels Ain't Coming Down". sound just like the old Slade hits, "Mamma We're All Crazee Now." and "Cum On feel The Noize." The only break in tempo was Slade's 1974 hit, "Everyday", which showed just how good Noddy Holder's voice is.

Slade are definitely entertainers, but I feel they will probably fade back into obscurity before long in view of the repetitive nature of their music and the fact that they do not encourage a second hearing too soon after the first. If they reappear in another five years time, I'll still enjoy them as much as I did on Friday, But no sooner please......

BRIAN HIGHLEY

EXETER EVENING NEWS 7/3/1981