Nicky WoulffeThe first time I saw The Undertones play live was in the now long gone Savoy Theatre on Bedford Row in Limerick on 3rd of February 1980. They were supported by fellow northern band The Moondogs.
The Blueprints
The band originally came together in 1974 when friends Michael Bradley, Billy Doherty, John O’ Neill , and his brother Vincent O’Neill form the band with Fergal Sharkey joining as the lead singer shortly afterwards. The definitive line up would solidify when Damian O’Neill would replace his brother Vincent in the band in 1976. Then, the long and extraordinary Journey of this Derry band would really begin.
The Undertones like many groups of the time liked The Ramones, The Clash, and The Sex Pistols. They had no doubt provided the blueprint for John O’Neill’s songwriting. While it is very well recorded the bands early influence was more R& B with bands like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and pub rockers Dr. Feelgood. This was abandoned and in came short, fast songs, simple chord structures and most importantly a simple beat.
Michael Bradley had got The Ramones album for Christmas in 1976. Although they’d already heard it, The Ramones approach to songwriting became John O’Neill’s template. The bands at this time were also listening to the Stooges, or The Velvet Underground.
John Peel & The Boys Next Door
The Undertones have always been the boy next door band. They never considered the fashion world or what they should wear on stage. They just seem to wear what they had put on that morning and never worried about the pop star image. Which is one of the many things I love about them…
They are a remarkable group. The Teenage Kicks EP was for me a brilliant start to a stellar career which celebrates five decades this year. Billy Doherty famouly sent the song to legendary BBC DJ John Peel, asking him to give it a spin. It gave the band their first big break. When he introduced the record, the band and all their friends, were gathered in O’ Neill’s house around the radio. The DJ name checked the band and all their friend’s before playing the record Teenage Kicks.
The now famous out link by Peel was apparently “that was so good I am going to have to play it again”. It still remains to this day the only record ever played twice on the BBC. John Peel also famously had his grave stone engraved with the wonderful line “Teenage Kicks So Hard To Beat”.
An excellent debut
The Undertones’ debut album featured a black and white cover of a photo of the band sitting on a wall opposite the O’Neill’s brother’s house. The cover became iconic cover just for its simplicity. The album was full of brilliant pop songs outside of “Teenage Kicks”. It included the rather fantastic “Here Comes the summer”, “Jimmy Jimmy” and the truly epic “True Confession”.
The second album Hypnotised came out in 1980. It reached number 6 on the album charts. Their biggest hit single “My Perfect Cousin” reached number 9 in the singles chart. It would be the bands biggest hit. Hypnotised had also reached a certain level of maturity and sensitivity which is evident on the beautifully written “Wednesday Week”.
The Undertones have always been a phenomenal live band. Over the many times I have seen them over the last fifty years, they have always had a connection with the audience that I have never seen bettered.
Beyond Teenage Kicks
By 1981 the Undertones had set up their own record label called Ardeck while doing a licensing deal with EMI records. On the 5th of May 1981 they released their third album Positive Touch. The album contained two hit singles. “It’s Going To Happen” reached the top twenty but the second single “Julie Ocean” failed to break the top forty. It was only the first time the band had failed to do so .
The final album by the Undertones Sin Of Pride was released in March 1983. It was harshly treated by the critics but I thought it defiantly had its moments like the great “Love Parade” and “Window Shopping For New Clothes”. But no hit came from the album and within four months of the album being released, they played their final show.
New Beginnings
The Undertones officially reformed and started playing live again in November 1999 following a 16 year hiatus. Fergal Sharkey was replaced by fellow Derry native Paul McLoone who has served as the bands lead singer ever since.
The band have continued to tour right up to the present day and have recorded two albums since they reformed when they released Get What You Need in 2003 and Dig Yourself Deep in 2007.
This Year see’s the band celebrate fifty Years on the boards. I for one will be taking in quite a lot of their gigs this time around and as they say:
Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?
Every time she walks down the street
Another Girl in the neighbourhood
Wish she was mine, she looks so good
I wanna hold her wanna hold her tight
Get teenage kicks right through the night
Those words still have a place in my heart and indeed always will.
