Slade’s Dave Hill on the early days, being the reason Kiss got together, and his debut solo album

Dave Hill says his debut solo album, *Dirty Foot Lane*, fulfils a lifelong ambition to share songs he did not write during Slade’s heyday. The largely autobiographical record draws on his childhood, family and mental health, as well as his experience in the band, offering a personal account of a life shaped by music.

Hill says Noddy Holder encouraged him to release his own work, and Holder’s son Django contributed guitar to several emotionally sensitive songs about Hill’s mother. He recalls the instant musical chemistry of Slade’s early line-up and credits manager Chas Chandler with believing in the band; Hill also says Gene Simmons told him that Slade’s *Alive!* inspired Kiss to form.