Punk sound for the masses

TIME for Action, featuring Warren 'Dermo' Dermody (second right)

THEY'VE not been together three months yet, but already Warren 'Dermo' Dermody has ideas on selling his new band Time for Action's 'experimental punk' sound to the masses.

'Dermo' is something of a legend around these parts, having fronted ace 'Madchester' outfit Northside during their three-year hey-day in the late 1980s and early 90s.

The Shall We Take A Trip stars - famously signed by the legendary Tony Wilson in 1989 - reformed for a short tour in 2013, but now, in 2017, Dermo has effectively started again, drafting in guitarists Simon Burton and Andy Callaghan, drummer Mike Carty and bassist Neil Pleasant to form Time for Action.

Asked about the band name, Dermo confirmed it wasn't a reference to the iconic Secret Affair mod tune of the late 1970s. He said: "I just liked the idea of Time for Action - to be honest I think now is a time for action.

"It's a great name for a band in my view, especially with the sound we're giving off and the stuff we're talking about.

"It just sits perfectly with the stuff we're doing."

Dermo added: "I knew all the lads were good musicians, but what we've done so far is got the acoustic guitar out, go to the pub, strum it, and when we've got the bones of the tunes we've just been putting them down on little betting slips.

"It used to to be on the back of cig packets, but now I ended up going home with about 30 betting slips full of ideas.

"The next day I'd chop them all down, get it to fit with what's what, and that's pretty much where the songs have come from.

"As a band we just pretty much clicked, and we've got an album's worth already."

Two tracks have already been recorded and can be heard on SoundCloud - the self-titled Time for Action and Your Two Faces.

Both are a little rough around the edges, having been rather rushed together, but Dermo is clear on what type of sound he'll be after from his new collaboration over the coming months.

"I've always been into the punk kind of sound, but I've always liked melody as well," added Dermo.

"I like The Damned, but I also like New Order. I like the idea of a great Barney Sumner-type vocal on top of heavy music, and I don't think - not to my knowledge anyway - many people have produced that sound.

"I wanted the pounding impact of punk rock, but with a song over the top.

"We want to create catchy choruses where people can sing along, something that grows on you. I think that's what we're doing so far."

A couple of gigs have been pencilled in for Time for Action - this Saturday afternoon (2pm start for a video shoot) at Louis Beckett's Miners Club in Moston, and then on April 22 at the Into the Valley Festival in Clitheroe.

Dermo said: "We want to get an album together first really, then go and start gigging properly.

"It's working so far. We've put two tunes out there and there's been good reaction to them.

"The production wasn't brilliant on them, but that doesn't really matter yet. That's not what we're after at this stage.

"We can't pay 15 grand an hour to go in a studio - it's cost us 80 quid up to now.

"I love the DIY culture, I always have done and it's always been a big part of my train of thought. Of course we want to do lots more gigs, but it is about the music first."

Check out the Time for Action page on Facebook for gig updates, and stage times for Saturday's Moston show.