Slade Arts & Leisure Centre, Stevenage 23 December 2005

Britain’s first new town was the location for the last night of this year’s ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ extravaganza after a 16-date sojourn across the country, the thirteenth such tour in as many years.

All 1,100 seats in the makeshift concert hall had been sold for the triple bill spectacular featuring Mud, comprising members of the late Les Gray’s band, the ultimate tribute band T.Rextasy and, of course, last but by no means least, Wolverhampton’s finest, Slade.

But it was the headline act which brought the Stevenage crowd to their feet with a rocking set of classics from their glam-tastic hymn book. Oh yes, it was a religious experience of gospel proportions with the audience singing along with every line.

Guitarist Dave Hill set the tone from the off with his energetic runs from one side of the stage to the other, occasionally jumping up onto one of the two carefully positioned pedestals to purvey the audience’s involvement. Bassist John Berry got stuck in too from the other box.

Don Powell, the band’s solid rock sticks man, bashed out the rhythm with effortless style all night. New to the line-up for 2005, vocalist and guitarist Mal McNulty made you feel he’d been doing the job all his life.

Mal, who is well-known to Sweet fans and followers of the band Paddy Goes To Holyhead, may not be Noddy Holder but he can certainly belt out Slade songs in his own inimitable, mighty fine style.

And so the hits flooded in given ‘twas a somewhat reduced set but sing ‘em all we certainly did from ‘Get Down & Get With It’ and ‘Look Wot You Dun’ to ‘Everyday’ and ‘Far Far Away’. Who couldn’t do anything but join in with the hooks and refrains cramped into these songs?

The strength of the material married with the strength of the musicianship on stage made for a totally unstoppable show. For me the highlights were ‘Coz I Luv You’, where John handed his sparkly Precision over the Mal in order pick up a bow and fiddle also ‘Gudbuy T’Jane’ which seemed to herald the beginning of something of a home strait for the set.

Number one hits ’Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ and ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ never fade or age, when they’re this good. Dave, Don, Mal and John donned Santa hats for the final act of the night. You guessed it, the most popular and the best Christmas hit ever, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’.

We know how to party in Hertfordshire. Slade alive forever, you’ll find dates for the band’s 2006 on their official website here also you may like to know there’s a Slade Convention happening in at the fabulous Robin 2 in the band’s native Bilston, probably one of the best live music venues in the world, albeit sadly the band won’t be there!

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