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Who plays the spoons on The Slits’ 1979 song ‘Newtown’?
Dennis Bovell played the spoons on The Slits’ 1979 song ‘Newtown’, using an ashtray, a spoon and a box of matches as percussion. The improvised sounds helped shape the track’s unusual punk and dub texture, accompanying its critique of suburban boredom and consumer culture.
The song appeared on the band’s debut album, *Cut*, recorded at Ridge Farm studio in Surrey in spring 1979, with Bovell producing. He said he played keyboards and percussion on ‘Newtown’, which likened television and football to drugs; the ashtray, spoon and matches carried references to smoking and heroin.
In short
- Dennis Bovell played the spoon on ‘Newtown’.
- He also used an ashtray and matches as percussion.
- The song satirised suburban boredom and television culture.
Explained simply
The Slits were a British punk band whose debut album, Cut, came out in 1979. It was produced by Dennis Bovell, a musician and producer associated with reggae and dub, a style that uses studio effects and strong bass rhythms.
Bovell said he played keyboards and percussion on “Newtown”. Alongside conventional instruments, he used an ashtray, a spoon and a box of matches, giving the song an unusual mix of punk and dub sounds.
The song’s lyrics compare television and football with drugs and criticise suburban routine and consumer culture. The everyday objects used as percussion also connected with the song’s references to smoking and heroin.