Slade in Flame (1975) - 7/10

Watching Flame or Slade in Flame as it’s now more commonly known, in 2025 seems like a bit of an oddity. 50 years ago when this was first released, Slade were already pop stars or rather glam rock stars. Here though they play a band forming amidst the back rooms, pubs and working men’s clubs of 1970s Wolverhampton, obviously not too much of a reach for them. Now the first question might be, can they act. To which the answer is more than enough, particularly Noddy Holder as Stoker, there’s something about that voice that just screams authenticity. They don’t see much future in this band thing, it’s just some fun to break up the monotony, but they’re good and when marketing tycoon Seymour (Tom Conti) signs them up, they’re propelled into the spotlight. They make odd bedfellows, as the flared blue collar band mix with the privileged elite. Sure they’re having fun, sure the crowds are getting bigger, but at what cost. It’s as much kitchen sink drama mixed with the murky world of small time shisters, as it is the pursuit of fame and fortune and it’s this that makes this gripping, entertaining and a lot better than you might expect of a film starring Slade. It’s dark and apparently did some damage to Slade’s fun loving image, but in hindsight it adds some credibility to its stars. There’s very little fluff. It’s fast paced, low budget brilliance… and the songs are pretty good!

7/10