After a brief stint as The Resistors, the Luton based UK Decay was formed in the winter of 1978. Nearly everyone was named Steve, so they all took on other monikers (Abbo = Steve Abbot). From there they became a well known outfit that has played with many of the original London punk bands, and even having made it to the US thanks to Jello Biafra after the sacking of their bassist in 1980. They got a 16 year old American bass replacement (Jason Creeton from Social Unrest).

They released several singles and an LP on Fresh records, which also carried Play Dead and The Dark. Their last recorded album, "Rising from the Dread" was recorded in 1982 on Corpus Christi, a Crass label. The cassette only release "A Night for Celebration" is their last show in December of 82. The remaining members went on to form Furyo and In Excelsis with members of another dissipated post punk/early goth band, Ritual.

UK Decay were among the first bands to cross over from punk to "gothic," alongside fellow post punk bands like Bauhaus and Theatre of Hate. They galvanized the movement that would later be dubbed "positive punk" (in 1983) and ultimately goth by helping several newer bands, such as Southern Death Cult and Sex Gang Children, get on their feet with gigs.

Their earlier singles are very punk, and the band has appeared on compilations of both punk and gothic music, including "Punk and Disorderly" and Dave Roberts' (of Sex Gang Children) "The Whip" as Slavedrive immeadiattely after UK Decay broke up, and inspired the name (probably) for the english punk rock video compilation "UK/DK" (buy on CDNOW). Aside from Theatre of Hate and Southern Death Cult, UK Decay fit the same bill as bands like The Dark, Crisis (Douglas Peirce and Tony Wakeford of pre Death In June's punk band, also with members of Theatre of Hate), and Warsaw (who would become Joy Division).