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How Does It Feel by Jim Lea
Published By Omnibus – October 22nd 2026 (Pre-order)
How Does It Feel is the fourth and final chapter in the Slade autobiography series. Noddy Holder, Don Powell and Dave Hill have all had their say over the years, and now it is Jim Lea’s turn. To say that this volume has been eagerly awaited by Slade fans would be a massive understatement. Not only is Jim the last of the four members of the biggest-selling British singles band of the 1970s to write his autobiography, but publication was initially announced for 2025 and then postponed by a year, further whetting the appetite of anyone who remembers the Black Country boys topping the charts six times in three years, including three singles going straight in at number one, a feat at the time only previously achieved by The Beatles.
Jim, being ‘the quiet one’, has never sought the spotlight since Slade folded as a band in 1992, but was rumoured to have become increasingly aggrieved over the years at Noddy’s embellishment of the Slade story to the detriment of the band’s bass guitarist, violinist, musical director, oftentimes producer and co-songwriter.
Many a rock star autobiography skates over the gory details of the glory years due to drink, drugs or threats of legal action. But Jim knows where the bodies are buried and isn’t afraid to dig up a few corpses as he tells his tale. Plus he still has the letters he wrote to his girlfriend and then wife Louise, many of which are reproduced in the book.
Although written in conjunction with Slade biographer Daryl Easlea, Jim’s own voice and humour comes through loud and strong. From remembering his farting grandmother (Glom) to recalling the extent to which the four band members travelled together at the height of their fame yet didn’t talk to each other, Jim paints a warts-and-all portrait (or should that be ‘farts-and-all’?) of life at the top. He rants about the pressures of fame, talks openly about his post-split breakdown and manages a few jibes at his brother (and Slade insider) Frank as well as at Noddy and ‘H’ (Dave Hill). He debunks the myth that his and Noddy’s coffers are overflowing with royalties each Christmas when that record is re-released and makes it clear that not only will Slade never be reforming to play live again, but that they won’t all be appearing in the same room together either.
Despite the apparent bitterness at the way in which his part in the band seems unrecognised by the wider world, and the physical and mental health struggles that Jim candidly talks about, the book is an entertaining read and what shines through is his pride at what Slade achieved, his enduring love for Louise, his childhood sweetheart and now his wife of 53 years, and an insistence on setting the record straight.
Noddy Holder is a national treasure. But the songs that he and Jim Lea wrote together for Slade are solid gold.
~
Words by Richard Houghton is an author and publisher who lives in Manchester. Slade’s My Friend Stan is one of the first records he ever bought.
Photo provided by Omnibus: Playing the violin onstage. Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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