UK Decay rocker Steve ‘Abbo’ Abbott has called for Generation Z to debunk the nonsense spouted by divisive social media influencers like Andrew Tate and go and form bands spreading messages of inclusion.
The 65-year-old guitarist has been outspoken against sexism and discrimination throughout his career and he is concerned that the progress made in the late ’70s and ’80s by the post-punk movement and 2 tone bands in Britain is being reversed by people like the controversial Tate who uses his huge following on social media platforms to promote misogyny and more recently antisemitic rhetoric.
Abbott says it’s up to the younger generation to call out people like Tate and spread the opposite messages and the best way to do it is by forming a band.
Speaking about women in the music business at a Q+A to launch the Forever Now Festival, he said: “Women are still sexualised, big time. They’re not just taken for their music.
“There was a lot of support for women, now I don’t see it as much.
“With the Andrew Tates and people out there, now these figures like him exist and they’re eating through everything that has been improving. I don’t think enough men are standing up and saying, ‘This is bulls***.’
“It’s a call to arms for us to debunk all this crap, and probably form a band.
“We’ve all got opinions, is there right and wrong? Yeah there is a right. On so many issues there is a right. And we know that. Racism, bigotry, sexism, discrimination, that’s wrong.”
The musician believes the late ’70s in Britain were a similar climate to now when it comes to sexism and other issues in society but there were a host of female punk artists who changed the perception of women in music.
He said: “I think 1977 was a revolution for female artists. Toyah, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Slits, X-Ray Spex, there were so many of them. Before that the female had been the sexy front person of the band.
“A 15-year-old and 16-year-old me would have looked at Siouxsie [Sioux] as being my ideal woman, she was so strong.
“I still play those records, it’s not nostalgia for me, it’s a wake-up call, how brilliant Poly Styrene was. Before that there wasn’t anything.
“Unfortunately the industry always grabs any moment of revolution and turns it into a product, it happens time and time again. I think it was a moment where women in music could tell their story. It wasn’t ideal, it’s still not ideal, but it was a big step.”
Abbott and his band UK Decay will be performing at the Forever Now Festival which is a celebration of the post-punk movement, which emerged in the UK in 1977 in the wake of the punk rock explosion spearheaded by The Sex Pistols.
The line-up for Forever Now includes The Psychedelic Furs, The The, Berlin Theatre, Johnny Marr, The Damned The Jesus and Mary Chain, Billy Idol and headliners Kraftwerk among many other artists.
Abbott feels proud that a movement began six decades ago is still being celebrated for its cultural impact the and music made by the artists.
He said: “Festivals are now a bit everything for everybody. It’s quite nice to go to a festival where it’s focused. Jazz festivals are focused, blues festivals are focused. Here you’ve got bands that didn’t quite fit into a genre back in the day all coming together.
“I think it’s really interesting.
“I don’t think it’s a bill where you come and see one band. I’ve been to festivals where I’ve gone just to see one band, and you might discover something which is great. This is not a day of discovery, it’s a day of celebration.”
Forever Now will take place on 22 June, 2025 at the iconic National Bowl, Milton Keynes, and tickets are on sale now via AXS and Ticketmaster.