In an era where music culture moves at speed, The Slackers represent an unwavering commitment to craft built through time.

Formed in New York City in 1991 the band has spent over three decades refining a sound rooted in Jamaican musical traditions while absorbing the textures of American soul, jazz and rock. From the outset they developed a musical vocabulary that leaned toward slow and deep rocksteady and reggae rather than the high-tempo energy of the 1990s ska revival, and rather than orbiting the mainstream The Slackers cultivated their own devoted fanbase through years of tireless touring and a catalogue that never stops evolving.

The enduring presence of The Slackers speaks to a particular way of working, with a career defined by consistency instead of reinvention with each release adding another layer to their deep catalogue. Having built an early classic run of albums in the 1990s based on ska and rocksteady, their early 2000s releases Wasted Days and Close My Eyes showed deeper songwriting with a broad emotional range before Peculiar sharpened their political edge. Even now in the 2020s, their approach seems to have accelerated into a rich period with 2 full-length albums, archival recordings, the terrific 2025 EP Money Is King and even a Dub Classics album reworking their best material through the lens of Lee “Scratch” Perry and Mad Professor. All of this alongside a relentless touring schedule that has kept their international fanbase happy for decades.

We caught up with The Slackers’ saxophonist Dave Hillyard to find out how The Slackers have been able to sustain such an incredible output, both in the studio and on stage, for so, so long:

Hi Dave, thanks for speaking with us today! What do you think is the secret to The Slackers longevity?

The band seems to be speeding up rather than slowing down the past few years, what’s driving this recent creative burst?

Your touring schedule is insane, has the band ever taken a significant break?

Do you feel like the band has evolved a lot over time, or do you feel like the core ethos and sound of The Slackers was established early on?

Can you unpack the lyrical themes on your latest EP Money Is King?

How are things on the ground in NYC right now?

Why do you think a keen political tradition has always been such an important part of ska and reggae?

We were tremendous fans of the reinterpretations on Dub Classics. What did you guys get out of the process?

What are some of your favourite venues and festivals in the UK?

What is the ultimate goal of The Slackers?