I don’t normally like this sort of thing but Slady – the all-female Slade tribute band – are just brilliant, right down to the sandpaper rasp of “Gobby Holder.”

I’ve seen tribute acts before; most notably Bjorn Again and The Counterfeit Stones, who played a pub in Wembley while the real Stones played the football stadium round the corner – for a fraction of the price.

And I’ve already bought tickets to see Blondied at my local working men’s club in a few weeks because I love Blondie and the singer can only be more in tune than Debbie Harry was when I saw them in ’77.

So here are Slady – Gobby Holder, Davina Hill, Donna Powell and Jem Lea – who are a nice twist on the traditional tribute format, being (in their own words) “the world’s only all-female Slade tribute band.”

They got together after London-based South Wales singer-songwriter Danie Cox – and self-employed dog trainer – caught Dave Hill’s Slade (the guitarist and three other blokes) at a festival in 2019.

Cox, who had been in a glam-punk outfit called The Featherz, recruited her friend Wendy Solomon (Jem Lea) and two others, initially for a one-off performance in a pub, but went down so well that they made it a regular event.

Since then they have met all four members of Slade and enjoyed their seal of approval, and played at the annual fan convention in Wolverhampton, as well as regularly at the Rebellion punk festival in Blackpool. Because old punks like me grew up on Slade.

They’ve even played at the real band’s old Black Country local, The Trumpet in Bilston, to raise funds after a burglary there.

Since I never saw the real Slade, I’m tempted to dust off my tartan suit and mirrored top hat and get tickets for their upcoming Slady Halloween Show at the prestigious Cryer Arts Centre in Sutton (“fancy dress recommended”).