Jim Lea, bassist and co-songwriter of SLADE, is set to publish his autobiography, "How Does It Feel? Slade And Beyond", on 22 October 2026 via Omnibus Press. Written with music writer Daryl Easlea, and featuring a foreword by Francis Rossi and an afterword by Paul Weller, the book marks a personal account from the man often described as the "quiet one" of the band, offering his own perspective after decades of others telling SLADE's story.

The 320-page book, named after the 1975 SLADE song Lea co-wrote with Noddy Holder, uses short thematic chapters rather than a straightforward chronology to cover his Staffordshire childhood, songwriting, family life and experiences with therapy, alongside previously unseen material such as letters to his wife of 53 years, family photographs and school exercise books. SLADE, formed in Wolverhampton in 1966, were among Europe's biggest bands of the 1970s, scoring three number one albums and 17 consecutive Top 20 singles between 1971 and 1976, before enjoying a 1980s resurgence with hits including "My Oh My" and "Run Run Away". Now 77, Lea says the book is his chance to finally tell his own story after years of others "misremembering" the band's history.