Tuesday, November 7, 2006

The Slits threw a punky reggae party at the Black Cat on Sunday; too bad so few people showed up to enjoy it.

The original lineup of the Slits formed in London in 1976, jumping into the punk fray with songs such as "Shoplifting," which displayed little skill but lots of chutzpah. As the all-female band began to get better on its instruments, the Slits incorporated reggae into their sound and, with the help of charismatic singer Ari Up's feminist lyrics, became one of the era's groundbreaking groups.

The 2006 edition of the Slits features only one original member, Up, who still sports a Medusa-like head of curly dreadlocks. Bassist Tessa Pollitt has played in the Slits almost since the beginning, however, and she and Up were supported by two guitarists, a drummer and a backup singer. The new Slits energetically ran through 12 songs, which may have been just enough music for a school-night concert in a quarter-full club, but it wasn't quite enough for those who have waited 20-plus years to see the recently reunited band.

The Slits' music may be a rough amalgam of punk and reggae, but the group shines brightest in the latter genre. That is partly because the Slits' take on reggae is so stiff and askew, tweaking the music's loose and fluid nature to give it a strange new life, as on the band's cover of Dennis Brown's "Revolution."

Up also has absorbed other elements of Jamaican culture, having even been crowned a dancehall queen at Kingston street parties. She showed her hip-grinding skills during several songs, and on "Typical Girls" she shared the stage and dirty dancing with two fellow Capricorns from the audience.

But there weren't enough Capricorns -- or any other zodiac signs -- on hand to reciprocate the energy Up was giving out.

-- Christopher Porter