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Group Members:
Feargal Sharkey (lead vocals),
John O'Neill (guitar),
Damian O'Neill (guitar, keyboards and vocals),
Michael Bradley (bass and vocals), and
Billy Doherty (drums).
Paul McLoone replaced Sharkey at
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The Undertones are an Northern Irish punk rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975.
Singer Sharkey's quavering delivery was distinctive, and made the band instantly recognisable. By 1977 they were performing their own three-chord pop punk material influenced by Nuggets-type material and the Ramones, and in 1978 released their debut four-song EP Teenage Kicks on the Good Vibrations label. It became a hit with support from noted BBC DJ John Peel, who considered that EP's title song his all-time favourite. The original release came housed in a flimsy paper poster style sleeve, in white, mustard yellow, pink or green. The first pressing has the song titles printed upside down when the poster is opened, later copies correct this but omit 'Undertones' from the poster. Some labels credit The Undertones and some just Undertones. Allegedly, 7000 copies were pressed.The song has been covered by many including boyband Busted (at the 2003 BRIT Awards) and French band Nouvelle Vague.
The band released four studio albums: The Undertones (1979), Hypnotised (1980), Positive Touch (1981) The Sin Of Pride (1983). Falling sales linked to their changing musical direction and tensions within the band, leading to their split in 1983. A compilation album titled All Wrapped Up featured a woman wrapped in bacon and clear plastic on the cover. Several other compilations including the BBC sessions CD Listening In (named after a song on their first album) exist.
The band reconvened in 1999 to play shows in their hometown of Derry, replacing singer Feargal Sharkey with a similarly warbling new recruit, Paul McLoone. Being back in the swing, the band released an album of original material with McLoone in 2003 titled "Get What You Need". The band continue to play gigs and write new material at this time.
The band also were the subject of a 2004 documentary "The Undertones: Teenage Kicks", which features the band wandering old their haunts with John Peel and charting their history from fresh faced beginnings through current reformed status.
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