50 years ago today, on 13 February 1975, Slade – Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, Dave Hill and Don Powell – arrived in a blaze of glory, riding on top of a fire engine, for the premiere of Slade in Flame at London’s Metropole Theatre – well, it was the 70s. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of this gritty rather than glam classic, directed by Richard Loncraine (Richard III, My One and Only), the film will be back on the big screen on 2 May 2025, newly remastered and released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland by BFI Distribution, followed by a BFI Blu-ray/DVD release on 19 May 2025. The cinema release will be supported by a brand-new trailer and new poster and the Blu-ray/DVD will contain new extra features.
Slade in Flame both confounded and delighted audiences when it was originally released, at the height of the legendary glam-rock band’s fame, following their incredible six No.1 UK singles from 1971-1973. A fictional tale but based on true experiences and starring the band themselves as the members of Flame – this was a music film like no other. Charting the rise and fall of a pop group at the end of the 1960s – from bold beginnings in seedy clubs to booze-addled endings in spectacular stadiums – this darkly cynical, warts-and-all portrait of a band in freefall amidst the music-industry suits who want a piece of the pie was not what anybody was expecting….