PUNK pioneers The Slits finally get their own documentary in the form of William E Badgley's Here To Be Heard: The Story of The Slits, which will receive its Irish premiere tomorrow evening at The Nerve Centre in Derry.
Four years in the making, the film features interviews with all surviving members of the London-based group fronted by the late Ariane Foster AKA Ari Up, who died of cancer in 2010, including the rest of its 'classic' line-up: Palmolive (drums), Viv Albertine (guitar) and Tessa Pollitt (bass).
The latter Slit gamely delves into her scrupulously kept scrapbooks featuring clippings and notices dating back to the very beginning of the band in 1976, artefacts which Badgley brings to life on the screen via thrilling archival footage and recordings.
We hear how these young women (Ari was only 14 when The Slits started) challenged societal norms, how they made a splash with a 'horrified' tabloid press as a result (one title refused to even print their band name) while gaining national exposure touring with The Clash and that some reviewers refused to believe that they actually played on their 1979 debut LP, Cut.
While it's a far from comprehensive chronicle of this important band, Here To Be Heard succeeds in letting The Slits tell their own story: what a pity Ari Up did not live long enough to supply her own unique point of view.
:: Tickets £3 via Nervecentre.org, second screening Saturday April 28 at Irish Film Institute, Dublin.
