Drummer Don Powell helped form the band in the mid-1960s. However, he says guitarist Dave Hill told him he was no longer needed via email.
What was that about millennials not knowing how to communicate with each other? The two leading members of British glam rock band Slade have fallen out via email.
Dave Hill and Don Powell began working together in 1963. They released their first music as the ‘N Betweens in 1966 before rechristening themselves Slade in 1970. They were one of the UK’s biggest band in the early 70s, topping the charts with glam rock classics like ‘Cos I Luv You’, ‘Take Me Back ‘Ome’ and the enduring ‘Cum On Feel the Noize’ and ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’.
Watch: Slade – Cum On Feel the Noize
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qu_ozjAu_vM
Slade haven’t released any new music since 1992, but they remain a popular touring attraction across Europe and North America. That is, until last week when things started to get messy. Powell released a statement on Feb 3 claiming Hill had given him the flick, and in a most unceremonious way.
“It is with great sadness and regret that Don needs to inform his fans that he now is no longer a member of Dave Hill’s Slade,” said a news post on Powell’s website. “Dave has sent Don a cold email to inform him that his services are no longer required, after working together and being friends since 1963.”
Watch: Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpfHSqLXePI
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However, it’s not quite as simple as a couple of Baby Boomers resolving their business affairs through email. Hill jumped on The Official Slade page Facebook to dispute Powell’s version of events.
“I am sad to announce that Don and I will no longer be working together,” he wrote. “Our parting of the ways has not come out of the blue and his announcement is not accurate.”
They’re both forming new bands, apparently, bearing the imaginative titles Don Powell’s Slade and Dave Hill’s Slade. “Don is sorting out his new band, and he wants to report it’s looking good.”
Cool.
