Angelic Upstarts: A Meeting With Decca Wade Down the Boozer

Originally published in Rave-Up #3 (Spring 1982)
By Devorah Ostrov

In 1981 I made my first trip to London. I spent three glorious months shopping and sightseeing every day, going to gigs every night, and meeting loads of rock stars (as you do). I returned to San Francisco jobless, homeless and broke — but with enough material to fill the next issue of the new fanzine my friends and I had started. One of the most entertaining characters I encountered was Decca Wade, the charming drummer for Angelic Upstarts. While we had a drink in the infamous Ship on Wardour Street, I turned on the tape recorder and Decca shared his views on several subjects including...

The Angelic Upstarts (Decca Wade on the left)

Photo from The EMI Years compilation CD - 2002

LOVE: "I love me mum and dad, sisters, nana... That's what I do love, sincerely. Everybody thinks we're like mindless idiots, but we're not! That's just an image. We've still got mums and dads."

EARLY DAYS: "We didn't start off with the attitude that this band was gonna make records. I mean, it was probably in the back of our minds, but we just started off playing gigs and we really enjoyed it!"

FAME: "I know for a fact that there are people who talk to me just because I'm a band member. They treat us differently. We stay close to our old mates. We still drink with our school chums."

PARENTAL GUIDANCE: "My dad's seen our show. He thinks we're fucking horrible! I sent him a copy of our live LP, and he said we should all be shot!"

SHOWING A GIRL A GOOD TIME: "We go drinking. You don't expect me to buy meals and stupid things like that, do you? I can't afford it!"

SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS: "That's fair enough, but a lot of people — groupies — want to go to bed with you, not just get your autograph. It's like, if you're going to get their autograph, you might as well go to bed with the stupid fuckers!"

CLEANLINESS: "If I feel like getting a wash, I'll have a wash. Most days I get washed, but today I didn't."

POPULARITY: "The reason we've lasted so long is that we sing what we believe in."

MODESTY: "Somebody once asked me, 'What's the best song you play?' And I said, 'All of them.'"

MAX SPLODGE: "He's not thick; he's my friend."