!Action Pact! was a London-based punk rock band, formed in 1981 by guitarist Wild Planet, bassist Kim Igoe, George Cheex, and drummer Joe Fungus. They would later break up in 1986.[1]
!Action Pact! | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Bad Samaritans |
| Origin | Stanwell, London, England |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Years active | 1981–1986 |
| Labels | Subversive, Fall Out, Captain Oi! |
| Past members | George Cheex Wild Planet (Des Stanley) Dr. Phibes (Kim Igoe) Joe Fungus Grimly Fiendish (Chris Lee) Elvin Pelvin (Phil Langham) Thistles |
History
edit!Action Pact! was from Stanwell in Middlesex,[citation needed] and was also originally named Bad Samaritans. In 1981 they changed their name to !Action Pact!. The John from Dead Mans Shadow (D.M.S.) was Bad Samaritan's original lead singer, and he left to concentrate on D.M.S., before the name change.[citation needed] He was replaced by George Cheex, who got the job because of "her courage to scream along with the band's songs." They contributed two songs to the EP Heathrow Touchdown which was released in October, 1981, while George and Joe were still only 15 years old. "London Bouncers" and "All Purpose Action Footwear", got the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel. He played their songs often and he convinced the band to record their first full session, which they did on 22 February 1982.[2] They recorded "People", "Suicide Bag", "Mindless Aggression", "Losers", and "Cowslick Blues".[3] The resulting demo tape caught the attention of the fledgling label Fall Out Records, which signed the band as the first act on its roster. !Action Pact!'s label debut, the Suicide Bag EP, was released in July 1982[2] and rocketed to the top of the British punk chart.[citation needed]
The band would later be joined by drummer Grimly Fiendish and bassist Thistles, and producer Phil Langham would also moonlight on bass under the name Elvin Pelvin; whereas Kim Igoe, the bassist, continued on as a lyricist. The band split in 1986.
In early 2016, Wild Planet (Des Stanley) died from cancer.[4]
Other projects
editWild Planet managed the heavy rock band Purge, in which his son, Mark Stanley, plays bass guitar; Purge has sometimes played a live cover version of !Action Pact!'s "London Bouncers". Joe Fungus also played with the punk band called Savage Upsurge.[citation needed]
Discography
editChart positions shown are from the UK Indie Chart.[5]
Albums
edit| Title | Album details | UK Indie album chart |
|---|---|---|
| Mercury Theatre - On the Air! |
|
5 |
| Survival of the Fattest |
|
- |
Singles/EPs
edit| Title | UK Indie singles chart |
|---|---|
| Heathrow Touchdown EP | - |
| Suicide Bag EP | 6 |
| "People" | 13 |
| London Bouncers EP | 23 |
| "Question of Choice" | 36 |
| Yet Another Dole Queue Song EP | 7 |
| "Cocktail Credibility" | 33 |
Footnotes
editReferences
edit- Anon (2015). "Action Pact Biography". facebook. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- Anon (6 February 1982). 06/02/1982 Action Pact. BBC. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- Babey, Ged (8 February 2016). "RIP Action Pact's Des Stanley aka Wild Planet". Louder than War. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- Bush, John (1999). "!Action Pact! Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- Lazell, Barry (2002). Indie Hits 1980-1999. Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-9517206-9-4.