The Undertones is a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975 and initially comprised of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (guitar), Damian O'Neill (guitar), Michael Bradley (bass), and Billy Doherty (drums). Sharkey's perfect power pop tenor was unique and the band was very tight.
John O'Neill was the main songwriter, with his brother Damian paired with Bradley for most of the remainder.
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. Supported by DJ John Peel it became a hit.
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, and successfully released a new album - Get What You Need - in 2003.
"Scarcely a harsh word was ever written about the Undertones. Their genuine inability to pose or pontificate disarmed the most hardened critics. No-one could ever quite come to grips with their apparent innocence and naivity. They weren't at all naive, of course, they just came across that way, and, to some extent, it prevented their later work from being taken as seriously as it deserved. Regarded as perpetual teenagers. No-one, it seemed, wanted them to grow up." Mick Houghton, liner notes to All Wrapped Up