UK Decay
Encyclopedia
UK Decay are Luton
-based post punk (the precursory term for gothic rock
) band, formed out of the ashes of another local band called The Resistors, who were Steven Abbot (Abbo) guitar, Steve Harle on drums, Paul Wilson vocals, and Martin (Segovia) Smith bass.
, whose Danny Baker
and Charles Shaar Murray
described them as "one of the worst punk bands of all time". At the same time, some of the band produced their own monthly fanzine The Suss, and ran their own punk record and clothes shop, 'Matrix'. Guitarist Steve Spon was poached from Pneumania, allowing Abbo to concentrate on frontman duties.
The next release for Plastic Records was the band's Black Cat EP, which came out in early 1980 and made the UK Indie Chart
for three weeks, getting to No. 42. Alex Howe from Fresh Records offered to license the first two singles off them and signed UK Decay to the label for several new 7"s and an album. It was around this time that UK Decay played their first out-of-town gig, with Bauhaus
, at the Northampton Racecourse Pavilion.
The first official release for Fresh was the single "For My Country" in September 1980, which got airplay from John Peel
(for whom they would record two sessions) and spent eight months in the indie chart reaching No. 13. The single was promoted by a major UK tour with raging political punk band, Dead Kennedys
. By 1981 two further singles, "Unexpected Guest" and "Sexual", had also been released, the former actually achieving the band’s highest Indie chart placing of No. 4, and paving the way for UK Decay’s debut album, For Madmen Only, released by Fresh Records
in December 1981.
The band had taken a year in recording, after delays caused by taking time out for a US tour and further frustrations with finding a permanent bass player. After Segovia left, Lorraine 'Lol' Turvey from The Statics stood in for some UK dates and a European tour in early 1981. For the US and subsequent UK tours in Spring 81 Creetin K-Os (of US punks Social Unrest) stood in. Following that stint he returned home and Eddie 'Dutch' Branch (AKA 'Twiggy') from Northampton joined on bass, just in time to finish the album.
In early 1982, Fresh Records collapsed soon after the album's release, and the band were caught up in the ensuing management buy-out by what would become Jungle Records. With the help of John Loder and Southern Studios, however, they managed to buy up the rights to their back catalogue and set up their own UK Decay Records. John Loder also introduced them to Penny Rimbaud from Crass, which resulted in the Rising From The Dead 12" coming out on Crass's Corpus Christi label in August 1982. However, despite a strong showing in the independent charts and an ever-expanding fanbase, UK Decay split up in December 1982. A posthumous live album, A Night For Celebration, was released during the summer of 1983.
Abbo, Steve Harle and Eddie Branch would regroup with new guitarist Albie de Luca (formerly of Gene Loves Jezebel
) as Furyo
in mid-1983, releasing two mini-albums through the following year and recording an unreleased album before splitting again in early 1985. While Spon went on to form In Exclesis with former members of Ritual
, releasing various singles and an album on Jungle Records.
UK Decay were arguably a major influence on an emerging wave of bands such as The Sisters of Mercy
, Sex Gang Children
and Southern Death Cult
. These bands together spawned the emerging postpunk and Goth
movements that still resonate today. UK Decay had a major role in developing these scenes, but had ceased to exist by the time these other bands started getting serious press coverage and sales. CD re-issues of the band's music have recently become available through their official website.
in Lisbon, Portugal. This has led to further bookings, including a short tour of Italy in April 2009 and an appearance on Sunday 9 August 2009 at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, UK. Early 2009 will also see the reissue of the For Madmen Only album, the Rising from the Dead 12" and other singles on CD and download.
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
-based post punk (the precursory term for gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
) band, formed out of the ashes of another local band called The Resistors, who were Steven Abbot (Abbo) guitar, Steve Harle on drums, Paul Wilson vocals, and Martin (Segovia) Smith bass.
History
The Resistors formed in 1978. After Paul Wilson left during the spring of 1979, the remaining band members changed their name and released the ‘Split Single’ 7” in partnership with local band Pneumania on their own Plastic Records label, under the new name UK Decay. There were two tracks from each band, with UK Decay contributing "UK Decay" and "Car Crash", and Pneumania "Exhibition" and "Coming Attack". The 'Split Single' sold extremely well, mainly thanks to a damning review in the NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, whose Danny Baker
Danny Baker
Danny Baker is an English comedy writer, journalist, radio DJ and screenwriter. Since the late 1970s, he has worked for a wide range of publications and broadcasters including NME, LWT, the BBC, and Talk Radio....
and Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
described them as "one of the worst punk bands of all time". At the same time, some of the band produced their own monthly fanzine The Suss, and ran their own punk record and clothes shop, 'Matrix'. Guitarist Steve Spon was poached from Pneumania, allowing Abbo to concentrate on frontman duties.
The next release for Plastic Records was the band's Black Cat EP, which came out in early 1980 and made the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
for three weeks, getting to No. 42. Alex Howe from Fresh Records offered to license the first two singles off them and signed UK Decay to the label for several new 7"s and an album. It was around this time that UK Decay played their first out-of-town gig, with Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
, at the Northampton Racecourse Pavilion.
The first official release for Fresh was the single "For My Country" in September 1980, which got airplay from John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
(for whom they would record two sessions) and spent eight months in the indie chart reaching No. 13. The single was promoted by a major UK tour with raging political punk band, Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
. By 1981 two further singles, "Unexpected Guest" and "Sexual", had also been released, the former actually achieving the band’s highest Indie chart placing of No. 4, and paving the way for UK Decay’s debut album, For Madmen Only, released by Fresh Records
Fresh Records (UK)
Fresh Records was an independent record label, and distributor based in the United Kingdom. Most popular in the latter 1970s, the label once supported punk groups like UK Decay, Play Dead, Family Fodder, Cuddly Toys, The Dark, Wilko Johnson and Big Hair competed with labels such as 4AD.The label...
in December 1981.
The band had taken a year in recording, after delays caused by taking time out for a US tour and further frustrations with finding a permanent bass player. After Segovia left, Lorraine 'Lol' Turvey from The Statics stood in for some UK dates and a European tour in early 1981. For the US and subsequent UK tours in Spring 81 Creetin K-Os (of US punks Social Unrest) stood in. Following that stint he returned home and Eddie 'Dutch' Branch (AKA 'Twiggy') from Northampton joined on bass, just in time to finish the album.
In early 1982, Fresh Records collapsed soon after the album's release, and the band were caught up in the ensuing management buy-out by what would become Jungle Records. With the help of John Loder and Southern Studios, however, they managed to buy up the rights to their back catalogue and set up their own UK Decay Records. John Loder also introduced them to Penny Rimbaud from Crass, which resulted in the Rising From The Dead 12" coming out on Crass's Corpus Christi label in August 1982. However, despite a strong showing in the independent charts and an ever-expanding fanbase, UK Decay split up in December 1982. A posthumous live album, A Night For Celebration, was released during the summer of 1983.
Abbo, Steve Harle and Eddie Branch would regroup with new guitarist Albie de Luca (formerly of Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel
Gene Loves Jezebel are a gothic rock band from the early 1980s, now two separate bands of the same name, founded by identical twin brothers, Michael and Jay Aston .-Early years: 1980-1989:...
) as Furyo
Furyo (band)
Furyo were a British gothic rock band who formed in Luton in mid-1983 after UK Decay split. They split early in 1985.-History:UK Decay members Steve "Abbo" Abbot, Steve Harle and Eddie Branch stayed together after that band split...
in mid-1983, releasing two mini-albums through the following year and recording an unreleased album before splitting again in early 1985. While Spon went on to form In Exclesis with former members of Ritual
Ritual (band)
Ritual was an early 1980s Harrow-based post-punk band that, as of late, has been aligned with the early UK-based gothic rock movement. The group is more commonly associated with the bands the former members took up arms with: In Excelsis and Death Cult .-Formation:Ritual was formed out of the...
, releasing various singles and an album on Jungle Records.
UK Decay were arguably a major influence on an emerging wave of bands such as The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band that formed in 1980. After achieving early underground fame in UK, the band had their commercial breakthrough in mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new recorded output in protest against their record company...
, Sex Gang Children
Sex Gang Children
The Sex Gang Children are a positive punk group that formed in the early 1980s in England. Although the original group only released one official studio album, they remain one of the more well-known bands out of the early Batcave scene and have reformed for new albums and touring various times...
and Southern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult was an English positive punk band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock supergroup The Cult...
. These bands together spawned the emerging postpunk and Goth
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
movements that still resonate today. UK Decay had a major role in developing these scenes, but had ceased to exist by the time these other bands started getting serious press coverage and sales. CD re-issues of the band's music have recently become available through their official website.
UK Decay Now
In 2008 UK Decay reformed for a reunion gig in the UK and to headline the legendary Drop Dead FestivalDrop Dead Festival
The Drop Dead Festival is the largest DIY festival for art-damaged music. It books as many as sixty five bands per event, and has been known to attract attendees from over 30+ countries...
in Lisbon, Portugal. This has led to further bookings, including a short tour of Italy in April 2009 and an appearance on Sunday 9 August 2009 at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, UK. Early 2009 will also see the reissue of the For Madmen Only album, the Rising from the Dead 12" and other singles on CD and download.
Singles
- The Split Single - 1979 (Plastic Records Plas 001)
- The Black 45 - 1980 (Plastic Records Plas 002)
- For My Country - 1980 (Fresh Records 7” Fresh 12)
- Unexpected Guest - 1981 (Fresh Records 7” Fresh 26)
- Sexual - 1981 (Fresh Records 7” Fresh 33)
- Rising from the Dead - 1982 (Corpus Christi Records Christ ITS 1)
Albums
- For Madmen Only - 1981 (Fresh Records Fresh LP5)
- A Night for Celebration - 1983 (UK Decay Records DK6)
- Nights for Celebration 2005 UK Decay Records CD
- Death,So Fatal 2006 Yak Records DKCD1 (available thru website)