​The band, known for its flamboyant pop-rock style, will play at venues including the O2 Academy Oxford, O2 Institute Birmingham, Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, and The Flowerpot in Derby as part of The Final Tour. Dave Hill’s Slade’s best known song is Merry Xmas Everybody and their final stage performance promises to be “dynamic, powerful and exhilarating”. The band will be joined for their UK dates by Sons of the Seventies, a four-piece band from Oxfordshire who pay tribute to the seventies with covers of classics from the era. Slade first hit the road in 1966, touring throughout the UK and Europe and becoming a regular concert attraction. Joining forces with the former Animals bass guitarist and Jimi Hendrix Experience manager Chas Chandler, Slade achieved their first chart hit in May 1971 with the Bobby Marchan song “Get Down and Get With It”. Throughout the 1970s, they became one of Europe’s biggest bands, their catalogue of hits becoming synonymous with the era. But not content to rest on their glam laurels, they forged a new path through the hugely influential British heavy rock scene in the 80s, becoming a major force in the country’s realm of pop ‘n’ rock. Led by founding member Dave Hill on lead guitar, Slade has continued to tour the world. John Berry accompanies on lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar and violin, while Russell Keefe takes up lead vocals and keys and Alex Bines takes his place behind the drumkit.