17 Facts About The Undertones

From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey, John O'Neill, Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley and Billy Doherty.

Much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave; the Undertones incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album.

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.

In 1999, the Undertones reformed, replacing lead singer Sharkey with Paul McLoone.

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.

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The Undertones had occasionally earned money at venues where they had performed throughout 1976, but these gigs at the Casbah were the first performances for which the Undertones were paid on a regular basis, as performing at the Casbah earned the group up to £30 for each attendance fee.

In March 1978, the Undertones recorded a demo tape at Magee University 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.

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".

In December 1980, the Undertones announced their intention to split from Sire Records as they were unhappy with the lack of promotion they were receiving outside of the UK, particularly in the US.

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.

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.

The Sin of Pride was met with critical acclaim upon release, and the Undertones performed several gigs in both Scotland and England to promote the release of this album; it reached number 43 in the UK chart.

The Undertones released two further studio singles in 1983; their first single, "Got To Have You Back"—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.

The Undertones reformed in November 1999, initially to play concerts in Derry.

Since 1999, the Undertones have performed several tours across the UK, Ireland, Continental Europe, Japan, Turkey and North America and continue to perform live.

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.

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.