The Uncommitted: committed to making their mark

Paul McGladdery and the band - back in business

Folk ‘n’ roller Paul McGladdery and his band the Uncommitted are gearing up to make plenty of noise.

McGladdery (48), a legal executive by day, has been playing guitar and writing songs for more than 30 years, and after throwing himself back into the folk scene in 2012 after a 22-year hiatus, he and the band are set to record and perform in earnest.

The excitement around the Uncommitted — McGladdeery, Mike Ashton, Mark Stelfox and Gaynor Wilson among others - is a far cry from McGladdery’s early days in Oldham.

Inspired to learn the guitar as a fan of the Smiths and Lloyd Cole in the 1980s, McGladdery linked up with fellow teenager Ashton to form Knowing Irene in 1984. Despite a decent Oldham following, they quit four years later.

McGladdery joined folk collective New Morning and things got really exciting: “We were asked to support Brit-poppers The Sun and the Moon,” recalled McGladdery. “I went from playing the Witchwood in Ashton and Band on the Wall in Manchester to being out on a UK tour and playing at the Marquee Club and Dingwalls. We were a support band, but it felt like we’d hit the big time.

“Playing at the (famous London music venue) Marquee Club was special. It really did feel like the big time - for a short while anyway. I thought we would at least get an album, but it just never happened and we disintegrated.”

McGladdery took to busking but in 2012 opened a Facebook account and Ashton got back in touch. Stelfox, of “Spark” fame, persuaded him back on stage and the Uncommitted was born.

McGladdery’s latest folk outfit has been relatively low-key so far., with a few gigs and some tracks on Soundcloud. But now the popular singer/songwriter is preparing to take the project up a gear.

“We’ve only really played smaller venues, but at the end of last year I thought it was about time we stepped up the live performances. We enjoyed it and I wanted a full-time band. I’ve created a pool of musicians with Mike, Mark, Gaynor Wilson and a guy named Dave Mull.

“We’re getting more and more gigs: it would be nice to play some festivals and that sort of thing.

“I’ve got the bug back, and I’ve written a lot of songs recently. They’re not all great, I admit, but I do churn them out so we’re picking the best ones.

“The stuff we recorded in 2013 was reasonably successful. We got quite a lot of radio play and did a few interviews, so we’ll get back in during the summer and see what we come out with.”

Check out the Uncommitted on Twitter or Facebook. They play at the Lees Live Lounge on May 22.