UK Decay

[werewolf]

Stevenage, Bowes Lyon UK Decay Video found!

[werewolf]

UK/DK Stevenage video/ Martins last gig!

Stevenage Bowes Lyon House
presents......

A new years party
with
UK Decay
+
Waxwork Dummies
+
Support
Sunday 4th January. 1981

Martin 'Segovia' Smiths last gig.

On thursday 28th April 2005 we visited the Stevenage Bowes Lyon
House to check out the recently found video footage.


'Seggy' (Martin smith) looking cool!
We were suprised to find after 24 years that the Bowes Lyon centre
was exactly as it was all those years ago. There was still a Skateboard
circuit behind, we parked up and entered. We were greeted by Craig
from the 'Rewind' project and as we were behind, Spon was imediately
summoned to the chair!
He was being intervied for a film the centre was making on the history
of music in Stevenage. The 'chair' was in the very room and on the very
spot where UK Decay played 24 years 3 months ago!

Spon, Steve and Abbo in the shadows.

The film will be shown on a Sky Community channel later in the year.
We shall of course keep you informed.
The room was unlit and dark apart from one bright camera light and
a projecter aimed at Spon and a space somewhere behind the chair.
Spon was then subjected to about an hour or so's interrogation
At the end of which, Craig popped open the Playstation and fished out
a DVD and handed it to him
These are some stills from the DVD.
As it turns out after the tape returned from the restorers, sadly only 3
tracks, made it!
'Shatterd' 'For My Country' and 'Rising from the Dread with a frustrating
intro to 'Portrait' ...frustrating because thats all it is! 30 seconds! It was
as well as being 'segovia's' last gig, the last time 'Portrait' would ever
be played.
Never mind. The 3 tracks have a nice 'look' about them - the sound
quality is reasonable.

Hey the 'Captains' getting in on this one!
These are all Stills from the Bowes Lyon video.
L-R Captain, Spon, Steve Harle and Abbo
So in summing up
Very positive !
Spon did a cool interview and there are 3 UK Decay tracks now on video
that are added to the collection that were'nt there before.
What makes this really special though is the fact that this footage marks
the end of the first line-up of Uk Decay, not only Martin 'Segovia' Smith's
last gig but the last time a number of UK Decay's songs were performed
live. It is a shame we didn't get the whole set but are extemely thankfull
for what we did get!

All in all ...Great news!

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[paulrabjohn]

so what's happening with this? any news yet on whether the film is finished and might be broadcast so we can all see it?

looking back to werewolf's comments on "portrait" , it ties in with the discussion on unreleased tracks going on elsewhere on this site. i guess a few tracks left with segovia. wonder if this was because they were ones he wrote , or if the band just felt it was time for a change?

p

[werewolf]

Stevenage Bowes Lyon, UK Decay Video Footage
Sorry P
Not heard a 'dicky-bird' about this lately.
Thanks for reminding, maybe should phone up Bowes
and get an update.
Paul B. (from Manchestre) kindly sent in a CD of a Preston Wharehouse
UK Decay gig dated early 1981 (Nice one palu B!) a rare live concert
featuring Lol turvey on Bass guitar.
At the current time Frank has the CD repotoire and is reviewing its content
but off the top of my head & a hunch this is another version of the same
tape that 'circulated' earlier and we have got another version of .
This CD rendition although plays a little fast and clips has got a nice 'feel'
about it and presents a rare version of the 'Decay', 'Interim period'
See here for further details
http://www.ukdecay.co.uk/bandmembers.htm
Featuring 'Lol Turvey' on Bass this performance is reasonably tight and
crisp...one of the better live recordings taken I think of the mixing desk.

Paul B. has re-titled 'Portrait' - 'Black out' (an easy mistake if you
remember we named it 'Black art' at one time!)
But for a period this track was 'medleyed' with 'The Black Cat' from the
'Black 45' EP. So this shows that at least this tune transended the demise
of Martin Segovia Smith, although it is doubtfull that it went much further
than that!

Another point to remember is that following 'Lol's' departure, UK DK
left for the US tour and were faced with a gruelling 3 week, 18 date tour
of the west coast with a brand new Bass Player. Within ten days of
returning to the UK, (with Creeton- the US bassist) the band embarked on
their first major UK tour. (with Play Dead and The Dark supporting)
This was the tour that included such memorable events as the Bedford
and Middlesboro riot's These events are remembered because thats how
memories work! but this tour actually layed down the foundations for
what was to become.
Eventually Creeton returned to the US (& Social Unrest) and Dk were
again without a bassist for a period before finally, Ed, 'Twiggy' branch
joined the line-up. By then the band were admidst great pressure to
finish the recording of the FMMO album. For some reason I guess at that
time in the pressure's of recording commitments and gigs that these
tunes simply got 'overlooked' (& maybe forgotton!) in the rush to get the
album out.

The Man with the Glass Hand, is a point in question here, a very rare
track that completely fell by the wayside on the departure of Segovia.

My theory is that these were new songs that were being worked on at
the time leading up to the end of the early 'Classic UK Decay line up'.
Because the pressure's of live gigs & recording the album the band simply
had to prioritise their workload. Spon admitted that he had totally
forgotton about these songs untill he heard them recently!

Death So Fatal is a project concieved to collect up the best possible
recordings of some of these lost and forgotton 'UK/DK' tracks.
This is work in progress and will hopefully see the 'light of day'
later in the year.
More news to follow

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[Angus]

I'm sure this gig in Stevenage was supported by the Trashers, not the Waxwork Dummies, was Segovia playing?? God it really is the dim and distant, I remember seeing Decay at the Roadmenders where Lol played her first gig before going to Germany.

Then the band returned from Germany with the Trashers, " I'm still waiting for 19 hunderd and Eighty Four" etc. And did a load of dates. I thought Stevenage was one of those. I remember it kicked off somewhat with the local short haired youth contingent, post gig.

Perhaps I'm just too much of an anorak to be recalling all this, perhaps I'm way out on the date front.

[paulrabjohn]

thanks to werewolf for that reply. trying to work out the timings , i think it all makes sense. i've just had a look at my collection of live tapes to see how it looks.

unfortunately i don't have many in the first half of 81. in the latter part of 1980 the band regularly played portrait and necrophilia , DMFM and MWTGH only occasionally (so i guess it could well be right that these were new tracks that got lost when lol joined). i've also got 3 tapes from early 81.

the first 2 must be in the "lol era" , leeds fan club 19.2.81 and upminster windmill hall 10.3.81. "portrait" gets played at both , none of the other unreleased tracks get an airing.

the final tape is bristol granary 18.5.81 , this is a gig on the first major tour (with creeton , same tour as all the photos were taken on the website at scarborough taboo a few days later). again they play "portrait" , nothing else unreleased. "carcrash" was played at both leeds and bristol.

not sure exactly when eddie joined , but he was playing at aylesbury friars in july (was that his first gig?). i've got lots of tapes of the final line up (and saw lots of other gigs) , i've not seen or heard eddie playing any of those unreleased songs. from the first 2 singles i only ever saw eddie do "uk decay" , "black cat" and "MOR Man". somehow i doubt they went back to "disco romance" or "message distortion" , but maybe an occasional "carcrash" got done as it was being played just a couple of weeks before eddie joined? that would have been a treat

so , as a theory , i'd guess necrophilia , MWTGH and DMFM got lost when segovia left , but maybe "portrait" got abandoned as eddie joined?

as a question to werewolf , did "portrait" get considered for the album? if it was still being played in may 81 , recording of the album must have been well under way by then so i guess it can't have missed the cut by much? not saying it's better than what got chosen , but it'd be great to have a decent version "for the record".

but the idea of a compilation of all this stuff sounds great , it'd be so good to have it all available. who knows...........p

[Nuzz]

The Trashers and Waxwork Dummies both supported UK Decay at Bowes Lyon House. Dunno if it was at the same gig though, cos they did 3 gigs at Bowes, Oct 1980, think Pneumania played at this. Jan 4th and March 10th. If anyone has any memories of these gigs, please get in touch as am compiling info for Website, of Live Muzik events at Bowes from 1980-1995. Memories/memorabilia of other gigs also welome. THIS IS STEVENAGE CALLING

[Ian Lee]

On 4 January 1981, UK Decay headlined a gig at Bowes Lyon House, Stevenage, supported by - in order of performance- Pneumania, The Statics and finally, Waxwork Dummies. I noted these facts after my attendance at the gig !

If UK Decay played any other gigs at Bowes Lyon, I have no info, as I was not at them.

The only other time I am aware I saw a gig at Bowes Lyon was on
18 September 1980- Crass, Poison Girls, Annie Anxiety and The Snipers.
_________________
In a world of universal deceit, to tell the truth is a revolutionary act. Surely it is the way to progress- after all, if one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out.

[paulrabjohn]

the only gig i ever saw at bowes lyon house was the final play dead gig , this is probably of some interest to you as they actually released it as a live album (called "final epitaph"). i'd guess this was the only recording made there that ever got released(?)

i saw play dead several times , but can't think of too many specific memories from the stevenage gig. i used to really like play dead , but i havn't played a record by them in years funnily. great live band in their day but the records never quite captured them so well. p

[mh]