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

Corby – Zombie Hut Gig Postponed

Re: Saturday 26th October Zombie Hut, Corby

It’s with regret that we have to announce a rescheduling of our show in Corby to Spring 2014.

We have been looking forward to the show and playing again with our friends Hazard and – for the first time – Venus Fly Trap and Family of Noise. However, due to an unforeseen issue with the venue the local promoter and ourselves feel that everyone – you, us and the team on Corby – will be better served by a show in the early part of next year.

Apologies to everyone affected by the rescheduling, but our date in London on Saturday 16 November is unaffected, and so we hope to see you there.

All ticket holders should contact Gingerpig Promotions for a full refund here

Thanks,

Abbo, Ed, Jon, Ray and Spon

Note: It seems the reason offered by Gingerpig is poor ticket sales, due to a lacklustre campaign on behalf of GP and the band. It might have something to do with UK Decay doing the gig in good faith with an up and coming small promoter without the corporate contracts that sometimes stifle entrepreneurship. It seems had we have had a proper contract, we would still have been playing next Saturday regardless of a lack of ticketsales, ours and the sounds  fee would have crippled the promoter. We didn’t want that. The date will be rescheduled and we can promise a maxed out campaign to advertise and gig for all to remember.

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!

Reflections on Record Store Day

So thanks first for everyone who came to see us in the blisteringly hot West London sunshine last Saturday. I personally had no idea what to expect until I drove up to Portabello Road and had to inch the car through a teeming mass of bodies to find a parking space. Stupidly I’d brought most of my drum kit with me but quickly realised that I’d only have room for the kick drum, snare and one maybe two cymbals. Chairman Che the manager was trying to talk me into doing it standing up to save on stool space – but that just had disaster written all over it. Over the next hour everyone began to arrive and I built the reduced kit up the road, and we then all carried it down to outside the shop.

I’m never normally a fan of bands in shades (i’m looking at you Bono) but Rough Trade was boiling a sun trap so we all – with the exception of the Edmund – kept the brown bins on. The front of the crowd were standing on Abbo’s toes and before the power was cut we launched into a quickfire 25-minute set, built around five songs from the new album and two from the vaults. We played Shake em Up. Heavy Metal Jews, UK Decay, Killer, City is a Cage, For My Country and I Feel Good. We probably played over the 25-minute slot too – and Rough Trade told us later that its power was cut soon afterwards!

Album launch and live performance at Rough Trade West!

UK Decay live at Record-Store-Day 2013

UK Decay live at Record-Store-Day 2013

We are launching our new album New Hope For The Dead with a short live performance at this years “Record Store Day 2013” at the Rough Trade West Stage, Talbot Road, Ladbroke Grove, London on Saturday 20th April at 2.30pm. This is an outdoor all day family event to celebrate the culture of independent record stores.

Further info here

Live and Gigging at The Hat Factory – Luton

Live and gigging at The Hat Factory Poster

Live and gigging at The Hat Factory Poster Landscape

UK Decay are returning to their home town to take part in a “Live And Gigging” event run by Luton Cultural Services in conjunction with BBC Introducing. The evening will include a live performance in front of a home crowd and before that band members will be taking part in workshops, mentoring a support band, and a general networking question and answer session. The Live and Gigging event will also offer one local artist/band a one to one session with UK Decay and a support slot during their gig; plus additional industry prizes and opportunities.

Further information and tickets