The Undertones

The Undertones formed in Derry in 1974, the O'Neill brothers and Feargal Sharkey developing a sound that was rooted in punk but had a melodic sweetness that set them apart from most of their contemporaries. They sent a demo tape to John Peel, who played 'Teenage Kicks' on his BBC Radio 1 show in 1978 — and then played it again immediately, something he had never done before and never did again.

'Teenage Kicks' is one of the great British singles — a perfect piece of pop music about teenage longing that has never dated. The Undertones signed to Sire Records and released a series of albums that showed a band capable of real melodic invention. 'Here Comes the Summer', 'Jimmy Jimmy', 'My Perfect Cousin' — the singles were consistently excellent.

Sharkey left in 1983 and the band split. They reformed without Sharkey in 1999 and have continued to tour and record. The original recordings remain their legacy — a body of work that captures the joy and frustration of youth with a precision that few bands have matched. John Peel's love of 'Teenage Kicks' was not misplaced.