Here to be Heard - The Story of the Slits

 

I've always said that I was a bit more of a fan of the Slits conceptually than musically (as I said after reading guitarist Viv's fine book a few years back), as their reggae-based pop was never aggressive or unique enough for my ears. But I loved the characters and their early, punky visual style (I drew a picture of Ari Up from an early book on British punk in the 70's that my sister still has) and I appreciate that they were able to break into the male-dominated music scene at the time (ironically with the help of male friends/boyfriends, but still).

This documentary has some phenomenal early footage along with more modern interviews with the prominent characters - band members, friends and the ubiquitous Don Letts (who provided much of the period video footage). Of course, that scene in the 70's was incredibly exciting and vital and the Slits were right in the heart of it, playing with all of the biggest bands of the time and some members even playing in early incarnations like the Flowers of Romance. 

Their style evolved fairly quickly, from their beginnings as noisy, anarchic - but charismatic - punk rockers who could barely play to the more smooth reggae-influenced sounds of their debut record, Cut. By the time of the recording they had booted out their original drummer, Palmolive (who is interviewed fairly extensively), and brought in a male drummer (not pictured on the album sleeve), Budgie, who later went on to play with Siouxie and the Banshees. Budgie - and the record's producer - certainly brought in a level of professionalism that they probably would not have attained otherwise, but they also lost their punky excitement. 

In any case, I learned quite a bit about their ups'n'downs, personnel changes, break-ups and (partial) reformations - bassist Tessa also providing a large part of the narrative as she and Ari were the only two mainstays in every incarnation. Of course, Ari's untimely, early death is excruciatingly sad and, naturally, brought an end to the Slits story.

Even without being a big fan of the music, this documentary is still inspirational and extremely well done, with plenty of exciting period video, including rehearsals, shows, and simply hanging out at clubs. Definitely recommended!