Sixty years since Slade formed – and a month on from his 80th birthday – the band’s longtime guitarist Dave Hill is preparing to release his first solo album.
Dirty Foot Lane is due for release in October, and is described by Hill’s representatives as “a rich, autobiographical collection of songs reflecting a lifetime of music, creativity, and personal discovery.”
“I’ve always been driven,” says Hill. “And I’m still looking for the next challenge. This album is part of that journey.”
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The album was made in collaboration with current Slade bassist and singer John Berry, who joined the band in 2003 and has also worked with fellow glam stalwarts Sweet and Les Gray’s Mud.
It includes songs that Hill wrote during lockdown as a response to the cessation of touring. “I wanted to recreate that feeling of walking into a packed arena,” says Hill. “The energy, the buzz, the connection with the audience.”
Dirty Foot Lane was produced by Django Holder, son of founding Slade vocalist Noddy and the owner of Feel The Noize Studios in West London.
“He’s 30 years of age, he’s a fantastic guy, very calm, very talented,” Hill told Contact Music last year. “Noddy recommended him, so I thought, ‘I’m going to try him’. He was just great to be with.
“The songs I’ve been writing for quite some time, the influences are more now. Django is brilliant at making spaces in music. He’s very clever at making the song sound interesting.”
“It’s an album of memories, but I feel this album will appeal to a lot of people – not just Slade fans but a lot of others. There’s one song which is about a troubled person, a suicide, I don’t mention the name. I tell that story and it’s got an eerie sound to it. It’s even a bit like a James Bond theme – it’s like nothing you would imagine me doing.”
Dave Hill’s Slade play a run of festive shows this December. Full dates below.
Thanks for the Good Times
Back in the Air Again
Dust My Axe
She Had a Troubled Heart
Sweet and Tender
Fast Train
Only Fools and Horses
Play It to the Crowd
Reasons to Succeed
Dirty Foot Lane
Dave Hill’s Slade: 2026 tour dates
Jul 04: Erlensee Limespark Erlensee, Germany
Jul 24: Mosbach ROCK FM Rock Night, Germany
Aug 07: Leinefelde-worbis TraumHits Open Air, Germany
Aug 21: Henley-on-thames Temple Island Meadows, UK
Dec 01: Glasgow Glasgow O2 Academy, UK
Dec 02: Newcastle City Hall Newcastle, UK
Dec 08: Leeds O2 Academy, UK
Dec 09: Liverpool O2 Academy, UK
Dec 12: Oxford O2 Academy, UK
Dec 13: Cardiff Tramshed , UK
Dec 16: Bournemouth O2 Academy, UK
Dec 18: London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, UK
Dec 20: Manchester O2 Ritz, UK
Dec 22: Birmingham O2 Academy, UK