Slade hint at new album in 2014

Band's drummer Don Powell says 70s glam rockers could record new material soon

Slade could release a new album in 2014.

The 70s glam rockers, most-famous for hits including ‘Gudbye To Jane’, ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ and their festive staple ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’, last released a studio album, ‘You Boyz Make Big Noize’ in 1987, although there have been other recordings under a new name, Slade II, and line-up since.

Talking to Metal Express Radio, the band’s drummer Don Powell said: “In the New Year we’re going to take some time out, will get some songs together between the four of us and expect to have a new studio album. And we’ll go out on tour with it.”

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He also revealed the band, who had six No 1 singles in the 1970s, had been playing in St Petersburg in Russia, where, despite their fans not being able to buy their records in the 1970s, they’ve always had a strong fanbase due to Western pirate radio stations playing their songs.

Their famous frontman Noddy Holder, however, hasn’t been performing with the band for some time, with singer Mal McNulty drafted in as a replacement. If there is a new album, he’s expected to carry on with Holder unlikely to return. Powell said: “I’ve got to be honest, Nod will never sing again. He’s had a think, and he’s had enough and doesn’t want it. I would love to be proved wrong, but I don’t think so.”

It was recently reported Holder is expected to earn around £800,000 this year from his band’s festive 1973 hit, ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’. In a report by Prezzybox.com, the track is top of the Christmas song list when it comes to pulling in the royalties. The Pogues are in second place and will earn an estimated £520,000 by the end of the year from ‘Fairytale Of New York’, while Mariah Carey was in third. She’s likely to make £455,000 royalties from ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ in 2013.

Powell said he remembers recording the single, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. He said: “We were on a summer tour at the time, and we had a week off in New York before going to Australia and Japan. Our manager Chas Chandler said we had to record this song Noddy and Jim had got because if we waited to get back to the UK it would be too late for the Christmas market. It was 100 degrees in New York, and we were singing that song. We got some strange looks from the technicians, but there we are. And would you believe we weren’t too sure about it? But Chas said ‘No matter what you say, this song is coming out.”

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