interview:
flipside magazine #24, 1981
interview 2
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 UK DECAY |
Abbo:
Well Crass have a very heavy punk audience, Killing Joke is slightly
more sophisticated, a lot of poseurs you might say - can't really
tell what kind of an audience us and Killing Joke draw, its a mix
between hardcore punks, normal punks, straights, hippies, trendy punks...
In London there's still a really good punk scene, there's a lot of
places that are really tuned in, other places it's dead. Al: Do you align yourself with the more pacifist followers? Abbo: Yeah we used to be very pacifistic, but now only in our views on war and stuff, it's basically impractical to be a pacifist - you've got to get off your ass and do something about it... We can't even play in our hometown because we are associated with punk, smaller bands get away with it if they keep it low key, we try to, but in London there's always a place to play, if one place closes down there's always another opening up. Al: There are a lot of punk factions... Abbo: Oh yeah, there's the Spandau Ballet/Stray Cats type of bands, Adam and the Ants, there's us, Theatre of Hate, Wasted Youth (not L.A.'s) bands on a different level, then there's the Cockney Rejects, Sham, Upstarts... Spon: Football, Oi Oi bands... Abbo: Totally three factions that don't mix. Over here we've been playing with the hardcore punk bands, which is strange. Hud: Do you live with your families? Abbo: Well I do, but the other's don't, they used to live in a shop but the shop got closed down and now they live around. Spon: I live here at the moment. Abbo: We've done a lot of touring at the moment so we don't require that sort of thing, I go home 2 or 3 times a week to get a nice dinner from mummy. Helen: What do UK bands think of Adam and the Ants? Abbo: They've disowned them... sold out is a common term... by signing to CBS. But he has broken down a lot of barriers, 6 year old kids to 60 year old grannies wear Adam badges. I think it's helped us and Crass get into the charts. |
| After
a lot of foul ups U.K. Decay arrived in L.A. with borrowed equipment
(c/o Dead Kennedys), a borrowed bass player (Creeton Chaos c/o Social
Unrest) and a last minute, U.S. debut gig, unadvertised at the Vex.
This interview took place at the Vex in April [1981] by Al, HUD, and
Helen. Helen: Have you had any Mexican food? Abbo: No absolutely none, not enough time, we were warned not to wander outside of the club, its supposed to be real violent out there. Helen: Who do you feel are your influences? Abbo: We were into the 76, 77, 78 scene, our musical influences aren't that strong but we have the basic ideas from that time from just going to gigs and stuff around England. Helen: Do you have a big following? Abbo: Yeah, especially in and around London, where we're from basically. Helen: Is your music political? Abbo: Uh, well yeah some of it, the early stuff is real political, "For My Country" was sort of an anti-nationalist thing, pacifist. Our lyrics are now sort of based on sex and death, mystical, gothic is how we describe it in England, the new single is about violation of privacy, unexpected guest in the house, surreal... Al: How is the audience for you and the bands you play with? |
