Legendary punk-pop band – THE UNDERTONES – have announced a UK tour to celebrate the 45th anniversary of iconic hit single “Teenage Kicks”.
Kicking off in Brighton, getting to Cardiff tonight, the tour will see the band joined by an array of friends and special guests, with The Rezillos, Tom Robinson Band and Neville Staple Band each appearing at three dates each.
Having emerged from Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974, The Undertones learnt their trade by listening to mail-order records, reading one of the few copies of NME that made it to Derry and listening to John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show.
The Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O’Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O’Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley (bass, vocals) and Billy Doherty (drums). Much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave; the Undertones also incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album. The Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums between 1978 and 1983.
In 1999, the band reformed, replacing lead singer Sharkey with PAUL MCLOONE, who is an awesome presence on stage with the rest of the guys.
We caught up with Paul recently to chat about the tour, the joys of playing in South Wales, and of course, those incredible songs…….
The Undertones remain the most successful band to have emerged from Derry, and one of the most successful bands to have emerged from Northern Ireland.
Practising in their bedrooms eventually led to the release of “Teenage Kicks” in 1978 on Terri Hooley’s Good Vibrations label in Belfast. A copy was sent to legendary DJ John Peel who liked the track so much he played it twice in a row on his radio show, and the rest is history.
Fast forward to 2023 and The Undertones are ready to present a glorious set of tracks taken from some of the best punk albums of all time. The shows will see the band play through a range of hits and anthems including “Get Over You”, “Jimmy Jimmy”, “My Perfect Cousin”, “You’ve Got My Number”, “Julie Ocean”, “Wednesday Week” and, of course, the now 45 year-old “Teenage Kicks”.
THE UNDERTONES get to Cardiff Tramshed this evening. More details and tickets are available now HERE.
