Slits
Punk's first frontwoman Ari Up on reissues, reunion
Nearly three decades after its release, Cut, the 1979 record from pioneering female punk band the Slits, is finally available on CD in the States. The reissue just may usher in a revival, as new material by a re-formed Slits, a series of "lost" recordings and the solo debut from singer Ari Up are all set for spring.
"I think we did a lot to set the pace," says Up in her half-British, half-Jamaican accent. "We helped change music for women. And because the Slits didn't get credit at the time, we've become like Greek mythology. The fans are not even fans -- they're more like members of a tribe."
The Slits were formed when fourteen-year-old Up (born Arianne Forster) ran into Spanish-born drummer Palmolive (Paloma Romero) at a Patti Smith show in London in 1976. The two were joined by bassist Tessa Pollitt and guitarist Viv Albertine, who had played with Palmolive in the short-lived Sid Vicious side project the Flowers of Romance. (Palmolive would later join another influential early female punk act, the Raincoats, and then be replaced by future Siouxsie and the Banshees member Budgie.)
"Palmolive had a girl vision," says Up. "She wanted that female energy."
