The Slits

The wild women of punk Mk1 burst onto the scene like a pus soaked spot and were a lot more obnoxious than most of their male counterparts. Featuring a 15 year old Arri Up phlegm fatale with a thick German accent and a birds nest hairstyle these wild women got barred from most of the Rock establishment including shops and even the odd taxi that wouldn't pick them up ! Arri was a spoilt, snotty nosed kid and even did Johnny Rotten's head in, who she adored and who was seeing (later married) her mum Nora.

The Slits went onto discover more dub sounds in their later days eventually splitting in 1981. Arri married a rasta and now lives in Jamaica sporting a dreadlock barnet ( suprise !!) and now owns a thick Jamaican / German accent with loads of kids.. Viv Albertine the guitarist and most sussed of the band is now an independent film producer. Tessa Pollit was poached from notorious but unheard of girl band The Castrators after Arri spotted her in a News Of The World expose. This quiet, reserved girl had wealthy parents but soon disappeared without trace since the band split up to form a family. Drummer Palmolive was a wild Spaniard who first played drums in the ill fated Flowers of Romance ( along with Viv and Sid Vicious before he sacked them both !!) a group named by Mr Rotten but only got to rehearsal stages. She then joined the Slits before eventually getting the push in late '78 for restricting their musical direction.

After forming The Raincoats she travelled round India before ending up in the USA married to a Scottish Church Minister with 3 kids and she is the only one still in a band. The Slits original bass player was Suzi Gutsy who rehearsed but never gigged and later joined the Flicks. Kate Korus played guitar in the early days but was replaced by Viv 2 weeks before the band supported the Clash on the White Riot tour of'77

Rotten & Arri picture by Joe Stevens.