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The Undertones are a Rock music band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, 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). Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone p. 55 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 music and Motown Records as the influence for the material released upon their final album. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone pp. 207-208 The Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums between 1978 and 1983 before Sharkey announced his intention to leave the band in May 1983, citing musical differences as the reason for the break up.
Despite the backdrop of the Troubles in Derry and across Northern Ireland, the vast majority (though not all) of the material the Undertones released focused not upon the political climate, but upon issues such as adolescence, teenage angst and heartbreak. AllMusic has stated that guitarists John and Damian O'Neill "mated infectious guitar hooks to 1960s garage rock, 1970s glam rock, and Feargal Sharkey's signature vocal quaver."
In 1999, the Undertones reformed, replacing lead singer Sharkey with Paul McLoone. Live review: The Undertones, Playhouse, Whitley Bay - The Shields Gazette
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.
The band initially rehearsed cover versions at the home of the guitarists, brothers John and Vincent O'Neill, and in the shed of a neighbour. (In early 1976, before the band had played gigs at any venues, Vincent O'Neill left the band; he was soon replaced by his younger brother Damian.)
Beginning in February 1976 the group, at this stage still unnamed, began playing gigs at various minor local venues, including schools, parish halls and Scout hall, where the band's lead singer, Feargal Sharkey, was a local Scout leader. Sharkey was also responsible for giving the band their first name: at the introduction to a gig at Saint Joseph's Secondary School in Derry on 16 March 1976, Feargal Sharkey was asked the name of the band and quickly replied "The Hot Rods". At a later gig, Sharkey named the band "Little Feat": another name already used by another group. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone p. 29
Later that year, drummer Billy Doherty proposed an alternate name for the group: The Undertones, which Doherty had discovered in his school history book. The other members of the band agreed to the proposal. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone p. 37
With the arrival of punk rock in late 1976, the artistic focus of the band changed. Artists such as the Adverts, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and, particularly, the Ramones became major influences on the Undertones.
In addition to being a Scout leader, Feargal Sharkey worked as a television repairman and delivery man. The van which Sharkey drove in this employment was used by the Undertones to transport their equipment to and from various venues.
In March 1978, the Undertones recorded a demo tape at Magee College in Derry and sent copies of the tape to various record companies in the hope of securing a record deal, but only received official letters of rejection. On 15 June 1978, the band recorded their debut four-song Extended play "Teenage Kicks" on a budget of only £200. The EP was engineered by Davy Shannon at Wizard Studios, Belfast, and was released on Belfast's Good Vibrations record label. The title song became a hit with support from BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who considered "Teenage Kicks" his all-time favourite song, an opinion he held through to his death in 2004.
On 26 October, the Undertones performed "Teenage Kicks" live on Top of the Pops. With help from Peel (who had also recorded and broadcast a Peel Session with the Undertones on the 16th), Teenage Kicks peaked at number 31 in the UK Singles Chart the following month.
In November 1978, the Undertones embarked on their first tour of the UK. This tour lasted until 16 December and saw the band appear as the supporting act for The Rezillos and John Otway in England and Wales in addition to headlining in three concerts in Belfast and Derry.
In January 1979, the Undertones recorded their eponymous debut album at Eden Studios in Acton, West London, using producer Roger Bechirian, whom the band had worked with for the first time the previous December, when Bechirian had produced the band's second single, "Get Over You". Much of the material upon their first album had been performed regularly at the Casbah, and the band were able to record this album in the space of less than four weeks. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone p. 114
Following the release of "Get Over You" in February 1979, the Undertones' eponymous debut album was released in May. The primary lyrical concern of the songs focused upon youthful relationships and adolescence. Three further punk singles: "Jimmy Jimmy", "Here Comes the Summer" and "You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)" were released between April and October 1979, each to critical acclaim. In September 1979,[2] the Undertones toured the United States for the first time, supporting The Clash with eight concerts in six different States. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone pp. 162-164
In January 1980, the production of Hypnotised was finished at Eden Studios in London, with the Undertones recording the three further songs written the previous December, plus two further songs: "Hypnotised" and a cover version of "Under The Boardwalk". Following the completion of their second LP, the band embarked upon a two-week tour of Ireland before touring continental Europe for the first time in March.
On 28 March 1980, the Undertones released their sixth single, "My Perfect Cousin". The song, which had been written the previous summer by Damian O'Neill and Michael Bradley, reached number 9 in the UK charts and would subsequently prove to be the band's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom. The following month, on 21 April 1980, the band's second LP, Hypnotised was released. This album reached number 6 in the UK Albums Chart, remaining in the Top 10 for one month. The same week the album was released, the Undertones embarked on their 'Humming tour', which saw the band play a total of 25 gigs across the UK between April and June.
Less than two weeks after the completion of the 'Humming tour', the Undertones toured the United States for the second time, this time as the headlining band. "Wednesday Week"—the second single to be released from Hypnotised—was released in July 1980. This single reached number 11 in the UK chart and remained in the Top 40 for a total of seven weeks.
Between September and December 1980, the Undertones performed two further tours: the 'Disaster Tour (European Style)', which saw the band perform in continental Europe and—in December—the 'See No More' tour of the UK.
In terms of chart sales, the year 1980 was the Undertones' most successful year. The Rough Guide to Rock p. 1121 In a review by Sounds magazine the same year, the Undertones were described as: "Possibly the best pop group in the English speaking world." Sounds, 1980
On 4 January 1981, the band began recording their third album, Positive Touch, again at Wisseloord Studios,Sleeve notes for 2009 Salvo re-release of Positive Touch p. 6 and again with Roger Bechirian as producer. The band recorded a total of eight songs in five days before returning to Derry. Later the same month, the band returned to Wisseloord Studios to complete the recording of the LP. The songs on this album indicated a change in both musical and lyrical influences: although the songs remained largely guitar-oriented, the band had written songs which focused upon the Troubles in Northern Ireland such as "Crisis of Mine", "You're Welcome" and the single "It's Going To Happen!", which preceded the release of the LP and was inspired by the 1980–81 Hunger Strikes. In addition, several songs upon the LP included instruments such as pianos, saxophones, recorders and brass instruments, with two further songs ("Julie Ocean" and "It's Going To Happen!") drawing musical inspiration from contemporary artists Orange Juice and Dexy's Midnight Runners respectively. The band themselves were content with the change of influences for Positive Touch, which bassist Michael Bradley later described as a "natural progression" for the band,2000 Castle Music Positive Touch CD release sleeve notes adding that, at the time, consensus between the band members was that the songs upon the LP were their best yet.Sleeve notes for 2000 'Castle music' re-issue of Positive Touch album.
One month prior to the release of this third album, in April 1981, the Undertones embarked on their 'Positive Touch tour'; this tour saw the band perform a total of 36 gigs across the UK mainland in the space of less than two months.
Positive Touch was released in May 1981. This third album peaked at number 17 in the UK charts—remaining in the Top 40 for a total of four weeks. The album also received favourable reviews from several music critics and was listed by NME as one of the best albums to be released in 1981, although neither the album nor either of the singles released were as successful as any of the material released the previous year. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone pp. 188-191
Following the conclusion of their 'Positive Touch tour' in June 1981, the Undertones released their second single of 1981, "Julie Ocean". The single – an extended recording of the 90-second album version – was produced by Hugh Jones and David Balfe. On 29 September 1981, the Undertones embarked on their biggest tour of continental Europe, which lasted until 20 October 1981 and saw the band perform a total of 19 concerts in six countries.
1982 saw a lull in activity from the Undertones, who only performed live on a total of five occasions throughout the entire year. Two of these gigs were held in England, with three further live appearances held in the United States in August. Much of the time the band spent together was devoted towards writing and recording songs for their next LP in their 8-track demo studio. Damian O'Neill, the Undertones' lead guitarist, later admitted: "We (had) definitely lost a bit of the spark. I don't know but I tend to think some of us got too Contentment sitting in our homes in Derry."Teenage Kicks, the story of The Undertones (1993) The Undertones released two studio singles, "Beautiful Friend" and "The Love Parade", in February and October; both of these singles failed to make an impact upon the UK charts. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone pp. 191-192
The Undertones released two further studio singles in 1983; their first single, "Got To Have You Back"—an Isley Brothers cover which was inspired by both ABC and Smokey Robinson—was released in February and their second single, "Chain of Love", was released in May. Both failed to make any major impact on the UK chart.
To fulfill agreed commitments, the Undertones remained together for a further two months, performing several gigs across continental Europe before disbanding in mid-1983, with their final concert being played at Punchestown Racecourse in County Kildare in Ireland on 17 July.
Sharkey subsequently embarked upon a brief, but commercially successful solo career in the mid-1980s to early 1990s.
Two of the other band members, John O'Neill and Damian O'Neill, formed That Petrol Emotion in 1984. The Rough Guide to Rock p. 1121 That Petrol Emotion released a total of fifteen singles and six albums between 1985 and 1994. British Hit Singles & Albums p. 554
In the 1990s John O'Neill formed a trip hop group called Rare under the stage name Seán Ó'Néill with vocalist Mary Gallagher. They only had one notable chart appearance and disbanded shortly after the release of their only album in 1998.
Noteworthy gigs by the Undertones since their 1999 reformation include performing at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2005 and 2022, providing pre-match entertainment prior to kick-off at Celtic Park in the UEFA Champions League play-off between Celtic and Arsenal in August 2009UEFA Champions League play-off between Celtic and Arsenal on 18 August 2009. and, in March and April 2011, performing a series of UK gigs in which they played their debut album, The Undertones, in its entirety as part of each show. This tour was timed to accompany a re-release of a double compilation album containing all of the A- and B-sides of their singles. Since their reformation, the Undertones have released two albums of original material with Paul McLoone providing vocals: Get What You Need on 30 September 2003; and Dig Yourself Deep, on 15 October 2007.
In April 2013, the Undertones released their first new material for over five years with the double A-side single "Much Too Late / When It Hurts I Count To Ten". This single—limited to 1,000 numbered copies—was released as part of the Record Store Day promotion in the UK and was recorded at Toe Rag Studios in London.
The Undertones have also been the subject of two documentaries: The first documentary to be produced: The Story of the Undertones: Teenage Kicks, was recorded in 2001 and released in 2004. Directed by Tom Collins, this 65-minute documentary was produced with the cooperation of John Peel, who interviews all current and former members of the band (with the exception of Vincent O'Neill) in addition to Seymour Stein and Eamonn McCann. In this documentary, the band discuss their formation, career, subsequent careers, personal lives and 1999 reunion.
The second documentary relating to The Undertones: Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story, was commissioned by the BBC and broadcast on BBC Four in September 2012. This documentary also features with interviews with current and former members of the Undertones (excluding Feargal Sharkey) in addition to numerous fans, friends, journalists, and additional personnel involved in the band's recordings and career.
The band were also portrayed in the 2013 film Good Vibrations about Terri Hooley and the Good Vibrations record label, featuring Jodie Whittaker and Richard Dormer.
Former members
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