Cum on Wear the Noize: Dave Hill & Superyob Style

Cum On Wear The Noize: Dave Hill and Super Yob Style tells the remarkable story of how Dave Hill of Slade, aka the ‘Black Country Beatles,’ helped create a fashion revolution for a generation of working class people in 1970s Britain.

For most people it was a bleak time, with national strikes prompting the government to introduce a state of emergency. But every Thursday night at 7.35 (blackouts permitting), the nation’s teenagers gathered round the TV to be transported to the world of glam on Top of the Pops. Teenagers needed to be in touch with a world where glitter was the norm and you didn’t walk — you stomped. They needed to hear their idols’ new hits, emulate their guitar poses and, most importantly, see what they were wearing.

For young people to forge an identity away from school uniforms and technical college overalls, music was the key to finding their tribe and wearing their hearts on their sleeves. And for kids looking for a group who understood their backgrounds and their spirit, Slade was the answer. They sounded fearless and looked like fun.

From experiments with spray paint in his childhood bedroom to employing his own stylist and costumier, who designed the costumes for the Slade film Flame in 1974, Dave Hill’s fashion sense was entirely personal. He saw his flamboyant self-expression as a contribution to the band’s USP, and just as important as his guitar playing. Slade’s connection to their audience, bringing music ‘back to the people with the same wage packet background,’ as their manager Chas Chandler put it, influenced fans to inject a little dazzle into their Saturday night flash. Bell bottoms, platforms, satin and tat were worn down the pub.

It is this part of the glam rock story that that made it ok for brickies and miners to feather their hair and wear frosted eye shadow. Dave Hill’s infectious do-it-yourself enthusiasm saw teenagers frantically glueing sequins onto Woolworth’s t shirts and rolled-up jeans in emulation. Customisation and glitter-faced cheekiness marked a moment in time when kids stuck two fingers up to political and economic turmoil and and got down and got with it.

Featuring exclusive interviews and lavishly illustrated with unseen and rare photographs from Dave’s personal collection, alongside images of the fans whose lives and wardrobes were transformed by Slade, this tells the story of how a mechanic’s son from Wolverhampton reinvented himself as a glam rock icon, and in doing so inspired young people across Britain to do it themselves on limited means.