The Slits were a British band formed in the mid-70s, and have been incredibly influential from then up until the present day. The band are usually characterised by their minimalistic style with reggae influences and staccato guitars which, as time went on, became more and more experimental into the 1980s. They toured with The Clash a couple of times before being picked up and cleaned up by Island Records for their debut Cut. Despite being at the forefront of punk, The Slits have never received the same acclaim as bands such as their tourmates The Clash. Despite this, their influence can be heard in much subsequent alternative music, from Sonic Youth to Crystal Castles, and has been cited as an influence by recognised greats such as Kurt Cobain and Carrie Brownstein. The Slits came back in the mid-2000s to a fair amount of success. Sadly in 2010 group founder and lead singer Ari Up died of cancer, and the group posthumously released the last ever Slits song 'Should Woulda Coulda' soon after.
