The Undetones

Fact Sheet

City	Derry, Northern Ireland, UK
Years active	1975-

The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975. The band consisted of:

Feargal Sharkey (vocals),
John O'Neill (guitar),
Damian O'Neill (guitar),
Michael Bradley (bass), and
Billy Doherty (drums).

John O'Neill was the main song writer, with his brother Damian paired with Bradley for most of the remainder.

Sharkey's power pop tenor was unique, and the band was very tight. By 1977 they were performing their own three-chord pop punk material influence by The Skids and Ramones, and in 1978 released their debut four-song EP 'Teenage Kicks' on Good Vibrations. It became a hit with support from DJ John Peel, who considered that EP's title song his all-time favorite. The song was later covered by boyband Busted at the Brit Awards in 2003.

They released four albums: The Undertones (1979), Hypnotised (1980), Positive Touch (1981) and 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 dressed in lunch meats wrapped in clear plastic on the cover.

In 1999, the band re-formed with Feargal Sharkey replaced by Paul McLoone when Sharkey refused to participate. After touring, the band released a new album, Get What You Need, in 2003.

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