The Undertones

The Undertones fromed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975 and released this; their self-titled debut in 1979. John and Damian O’Neill partnered infectious guitar hooks to 60’s garage, 70’s glam rock, with Feargal Sharkey’s signature vocal quaver. Those qualities came together on their breakout hit ‘Teenage Kicks’, whose simplicity harked back to 60’s ideals of when the song was king.This classic debut record infuses so much unabashed joy in two-minute three-chord pop songs, and there’s little pretension in their unapologetically teenage world view, that even the darker hints of life in songs like the suicide-themed ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ are delivered with a sense of optimism at odds with so many of their contemporaries.