Typical Girls + Unruly Women: The Story of the Slits

Slits documentary Q&A with Paloma McLardy (Palmolive) of the legendary bands the Slits & the Raincoats; journalist Jenn Pelly + author Rob Sheffield

Slits documentary Q&A with Paloma McLardy (Palmolive), Jenn Pelly + Rob Sheffield

I’m trying in vain to recall when I first heard the Slits. I am reasonably sure that I first heard OF them in Greil Marcus’ incredible book, “Lipstick Traces,” which weaves together iconoclastic moments in music, art, philosophy and history to create a kind of invisible history of the 20th century. (One of their first-ever recordings, “A Boring Life,” is featured on the book’s companion soundtrack, which is well worth tracking down if you can find it.)

When I DID finally hear them, I was not disappointed. In fact, the music quickly became essential to me, like air — in large part due to its fresh mix of rage, humor and incisive assessments of the way mainstream culture boxes women in.

Ut: Digging Deep

Ut live at Sonic City, November 2017

UT
Live at Rough Trade, London
November 18, 2017

Warped Reality readers will know Ut, the legendary No Wave underground band that formed in New York in 1978. A reminder: Jacqui Ham, Sally Young and Nina Canal were Blast First label mates of Sonic Youth. They left the USA to tour with The Fall (1981), and even more interesting to those comrades who fight for active, not passive, listening daily, a young Steve Albini engineered the 1989 Griller album. Consequently tonight’s Rough Trade audience is made up of a generous portion of the alternative music world’s patrons, champions and groundbreakers, including Ana (Raincoats) and Bjork. Lovely.

Even more adorable is how their loud sound, jazz attitude, building layers of rhythm and awkward guitar shapes still swallow you whole, exemplified most in “Wailhouse” tonight (off Griller), and by which time they’ve warmed up.

Turkish Delight play the Middle East, 1998

Turkish Delight: Detuned Dada

Turkish Delight reunion, 1998

Turkish Delight at the Middle East Upstairs, 1998. Photo + banner: Soledad Stratter

2017 has been a great year for reissues — from Kicking Giant to Ut — but I truly couldn’t contain my excitement when Boston label IHeartNoise decided to reissue Turkish Delight’s 1996 debut, “Tommy Bell,” on cassette.

When I lived in Boston, the Turks were an absolutely un-missable live band. Sometimes bands that are stellar live don’t quite translate on record (and vice versa), but TD captured their particular lightning-in-a-bottle with surprising regularity.

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