A night to unwind at the O2

Steve Ignorant’s – Slice of Life, Frankie B’s – At Night We Cry and Cambridge’s very own Freedom Faction and a wonderful crowd , joined us for a mega night to unwind at the O2 Academy, Islington, London last Saturday. Big thanks to all of the artist’s mentioned above, plus Frank Flag, Jason and the O2 technical crew and staff for making the show run pretty much glitch free. We really enjoyed ourselves and thought all the other bands and the audience were fantastic, the O2 is well set up technically for bands, apart from the countless flights of stairs between the stage and the dressing rooms.

The only regret is that we didn’t get chance to meet up with everyone afterwards, the management needed everyone out, so they could open the night club in time.

Video by puremania7777

Bring on 2014 and there is a plethora of back-scene activity of gig planning happening at the moment, we will bring further news of gigs in due course, but right now we can announce that we are appearing at the Whitby Gothic Festival on the April 26th . There is talk of new material and further release’s, nothing definite to report at the moment but watch this space!

UK Decay live at O2 Academy

 Islington, London. This Saturday 16th November, doors open 6pm

O2-new-2013

SHOW TIMES

> Doors: 6.00pm

FREEDOM FACTION: 6.30 – 7.00

FRANKO B: 7.10 – 7.40

STEVE IGNORANT’s Slice Of Life: 7.55 – 8.35

UK DECAY: 8.50 – 10.00

>Curfew – 10.00pm strict!

Do you fancy getting your hands on a vinyl test pressing of New Hope for the Dead signed by the band?

If so we’ll be handing out raffle tickets to everyone attending Saturday’s Islington 02 show, with the winner announced by Franko B on the night.

Franko not only created the artwork, but will be appearing with his band At Night We cry.

This will be Decay’s last ‘Night of Celebration’ in London and the south for the foreseeable future. We promise a choice mix of our new songs and our old classics supported by an excellent line-up with a few surprises during the evening. Doors open 6pm – performances timed to enable the catching of as many last trains as possible – This is unmissable – Saturday’s show is fast filling up, but we still have some friends and family tickets available on the night at a concessionary rate. If you’d like one then email us at contact@ukdecay.co.uk and we’ll put your name down. You can then pay for the conc tickets on arrival at the door.

Also T Shirt-wise, we will have some brand new design’s based on New Hope For The Dead white and red text on a black shirt. This is a limited screen printed run and if there is anything left after the O2 gig, we will duly place on our website here. The will also be a selection of stickers buttons, badges, posters, some vinyl, CD’s and hopefully more, all available on our merchandise stall at O2 – Look out for us.

Many thanks and hopefully see you on Saturday

Abbo, Ed, Ray and Spon

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New Hope For The Dead T Shirts

live in London UK Decay, Steve Ignorant and Franko B – just two weeks to go

UK Decay live in London..

So not long now until we’re joined at the O2 Academy Islington on Saturday 16 November by Steve Ignorant’s Slice of Life and at Night We Cry with FrankoB.

There’s a big connection with Steve, with Decay playing one of its first gigs with Crass and recording regularly at Southern Studios. Werewolf was also released with the help of Crass on the Corpus Christi label.

Also on the bill is Cambridge’s Freedom Faction. Doors are at 6pm and tickets are £14. available here

Hope to see as many of you there that can make it.

Cheers

Decay get arty

As gigs go this wasn’t really the usual UK Decay experience. When Franko asked if we could step in at the last minute to replace the mysterious Revelator, we asked what sort of night he was planning.

‘Art!’ He shot back, ‘lot’s of art. And loud music too.’

Simples we think, and load up Jon’s Volvo for the fairly short trip from the blessed holy lands of Lutonia to South East London. Ed was making his own way down and Abbo was hightailing it in from Chester. Jon was in his usual mad driver mode, and so Spon and me spent the majority of the trip with our eyes shut and praying we’d make it in one piece.

The venue was an old pub in Camberwell that’s been converted into a swish bar. The landlord is well in with the art crew and hosts lots of leftfield events there, including regular fetish nights apparently. We bowl in and find Chairman Che and Marsha already there and doing the business. Today Che’s smoking small, thin cigars, rather than the Zeppelins he usually prefers.  We set up and sound check. Things are sounding good. We’re just playing through the backline and a vocal PA, today but there’s a lovely crisp urgency to the sound.

Franko and his crew are already in attendance – as are a selection of London’s finest performance artists. To be fair, some of it went over our heads. In fact, most of what was going on went over our heads – a great deal of which seemed to involve nakedness and gaffer tape. But everyone there was engaged and respectful; the ideas well executed.

As well as being a great artist Franko was singing in the first band due on that evening: At Night We Cry.  While they sound checked we cleared off to a nearby café to drink beer, eat food and talk about next moves – possibly another record. Che reported back on gigs booked or being planned: which at the moment include a big London show later this year, then jaunts into Spain, Poland, Germany and more. We’re adding shows by the day and once everything is signed off will be putting up the dates. The sun was hot and the beer was cold and it was the first time in ages we’d been able to just sit around and hang out – which was great.

So back to the venue in time to see Franko do his thing. At Night We Cry are a three piece: drums, bass and Franko on vocals and FX. Considering there are just three of them they make a great racket, lots of heavy, monstrous grooving between the rhythm section and Franko doing his nut through effects laden vocals. Hopefully we’ll be playing with them again in Italy later this year.

And then to us. We only had to play for 30 minutes so did the same set as we had outside Rough Trade West a few weeks ago:

  • Shake ‘em up
  • Heavy Metal Jews
  • Killer
  • City is a Cage
  • UK Decay
  • For My Country
  • I Feel Good

It’s probably the first time the band has played in front of an audience who has never heard them before. Although Steve and Lee did manage to get down to see the show. It was a good show: tight, energetic and powerful – the usual Decay ingredients minus the swinging belts. Before we knew it, the night was done. A few beers and then a face from the past: Phil Keefe from Luton who made the short journey from his new home in SE London, but arrived 30 minutes after we’d played.

Time to head back. Spon and me looked at the Volvo with trepidation. As I was navigating from the map on my phone, I drew the short straw and had to sit in the front.  I shut my eyes and prayed!

STOP PRESS – UK DECAY TO STAND IN FOR REVELATOR AND PLAY AT UNTOUCHABLE IN LONDON ON SATURDAY 8 JUNE 2013

UK DECAY will replace REVELATOR and play in June’s edition of UNTOUCHABLE at The Flying Dutchman, Camberwell, London on Saturday 8 June 2013.
There was only one answer when Franko contacted the band to fill the gap left by mystery band REVELATOR, who pulled out of the show at the last minute without explanation.
Indeed, Franko will be spreading his own hot sauce fronting his band At Night We Cry in-between curating the event for performance s p a c e [, which concludes their I ♥ ]ps[ fundraising campaign.
Performance/ Live Art will start at 2pm sharp and run until approximately 8pm.
The live music will start at 6 pm with At Night We Cry, followed by UK Decay at 730pm
DJ sets by Franko B, Abbo’s alter ego, DJ Lovechild and DJ MU to finish the night..
Artists: Dani Ploeger, Kimberley Emeny, DUG (Ross Oliver, Joana Cifre-Cerdà and Kate Buckley), Season Butler, Verity Combe, Laura Dee Milnes, Elenor Hellis, Lorena Lo Pena,Valeria, Tello Giusti, Bruno Humberto & Abraham Winterstein, Fabiola Paz & Annalaura Alifuoco, Samuel Kennedy, Liz Sandford Richardson, E-SCIENCE
When: Saturday 8th June, 2pm – 1am
Where: The Flying Dutchman, 156 Wells Ways, Camberwell, London SE5 7SY
Transport: Burgess Park stop bus 343/N43 or nearby Wyndham Road stop 12, 35, 40, 45, 68, 148, 171, 176 or Vestry Road stop 36, 345, 436
Website:
Twitter: @Fly_Dutch_Lon @aplaceofaction @Franko_B_artist
]performance s p a c e[ aims to cultivate live work that critically and physically pushes the boundaries of body and space. It is a place where work can unfold without restraints of censorship, duration or space; committed to supporting challenging and difficult work that embraces performance art as an ever-evolving medium.
Entry: suggested donation.
All the money raised will go to ]performance s p a c e [ to support the continued delivery of ]performance 1 0 1 [. This part of the ]performance s p a c e [ programme runs across 2013 offering artists open platforms to present live work, discuss & develop their work and participate in dynamic research events. ]performance 1 0 1 [ is open to all and free of charge. It does not receive financial support or funding.
Franko b man-handles New Hope For The Dead!

Franko b man-handles New Hope For The Dead!

UK DECAY – FRANKO B COLLABORATION

It has been a month now since the album release, and thank you to everyone for their support and feedback; the band are humbled and appreciative and we do try to respond to all who tap the boards onto the various social network sites and forums. Keep spreading the Hot Sauce please!!

Franko-BAnd now perhaps timely to introduce Franko B, whose stunning artwork adorns the album.

 

 

Franko-B.com

 

On the eve of the band’s new release New Hope For The Dead, Uk Decay are privileged and humbled to announce the collaboration with artist Franko B, whose stunning artwork adorns the album sleeve and the Killer/Heavy Metal Jews single.

killerNe Hope For The Dead

Several themes run through the songs of the album and the band’s efforts to find artwork which would encapsulate these themes and be worthy of the new material and sound, the Decay legacy, the support of the Pledgers, justice to the UK Decay communities old and new was proving very, very difficult, until contact was made with Franko that is!

Che knew Franko through a mutual friend, art dealer Guy Hilton, and had actually missed out on purchasing Franko’s Black Stars and Stripes at the British Art Fair a few years back; and they say life has no regrets! Anyway, Che did a deal on one of Luton artist Clive Barker’s “Heart” sculptors from Franko around the same time.

When Che showed the band Franko’s art, it resonated with them immediately and here’s what the guys had to say.

Raymondo: ” There’s a horrible reality in those black flags; an end of the road feel to them. If you’re strapped to a chair in Bagram airforce base they’ll make a lot of sense.”

Spon: ” Is the ideology represented behind those flags, deserving of colour, given the acquisition of oil at the cost of truth?”
Eduardo: ” When I saw both the white and black Union Jacks and Stars and Stripes it left me speechless with such powerful imagery.”

Back to the story.  Che writes Franko a short note, leaving a number for Franko to contact him on. Within a short space of time, Franko responds and listens to what Che has to say. Franko was familiar with the band back in the day, having moved to London from Italy in 1979.  Abbo sends Franko a copy of the TDL mix of the album to listen to on his return from taking care of art matters in the North East.  A meeting is arranged at the steps of St Johns Church in Waterloo.  It is a bright, clear January.  The espresso is ordered and the collaboration begins.

As Franko explains, “I always love the opportunity to work with other artists. I don’t separate art forms and I am not precious about my own work. This collaboration is a good thing that allows each other’s work – Decay’s and mine – to reach out to each other’s audience.  I still believe in the spirit of punk and there is a common thread of our core ideals, but most importantly I love the new songs – Killer and Woman With The Black Heart especially, and the new material has made me listen to the old Decay too. I love it!”

The band are indebted to Franko for his love and generosity. Yes, its UK Decay as art critics!, and we leave you all with the continuing eloquence from Abbo,

“Franko B had made a statement so simple yet so profound and most importantly the most singular representation in my mind of the acknowledgement that the concept of the symbol of a nation now rests sadly in mourning in Britain and in the USA today, caused by the irresponsible, corrupt and immoral actions of those elected and empowered to represent it.”

One day we may claim it back!

Our new album to premier a world first print technique

New Hope For The Dead cover

New Hope For The Dead album cover (front)

Our new album New Hope For The Dead is to premier a brand new printing technique on limited pressings of the CD and Vinyl cover artwork. The covers of both formats will feature a 3D “oil painting varnish” effect which will give a real textured feel to the sleeve replicating artist Franko B’s striking paintings. This print effect is a world first for a CD or Vinyl LP.

Both formats of the limited edition will be personally signed by the band. The special limited editions are available now to pre-order from our store and the album will be officially launched in April. A special album launch performance is under wraps and will be announced shortly. Details to follow.

To order the CD version click here

To order the Vinyl version click here