Formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in the mid-70s, The Undertones had hits including Teenage Kicks, the all-time favourite song of the late DJ John Peel. After fragmenting in 1983, they reunited at the end of the last millennium, without frontman Feargal Sharkey.
Below, rhythm guitarist John O’Neil, an original member, previews their 50th-anniversary tour of the UK and Ireland.
A half-century of The Undertones, albeit with a long break, is quite a feat.
I guess so. I don’t know. I just go with the flow. But when we broke up in 1983 none of us ever expected to reform, or to last even longer second time around. That was never in the plan. Part of our problem was that there was never a plan, we went along for the ride.
But you’re still having fun?
I’ve mixed feelings, to be completely honest. I love playing live but hate the travel. I’ll stick it out for another year and maybe that’s it. [Laughing] I’ve said that ten times before. I turn seventy next year, so maybe it’s time.
How did it feel when you began having that incredible run of hit singles?
Obviously we weren’t complaining. But, again, I never take that stuff too seriously. I loved being in the studio but never really enjoyed touring, especially in those days. Coming up with the songs was great, but it became harder and harder. We knew the end was coming, put it that way. We made a mistake going for the more soulful direction [with the fourth album, 1983’s The Sin Of Pride]. We had started out a garage band.
How devastated were you all when Feargal Sharkey quit for a solo career?
We were all having the same thoughts, but Feargal was the first to say it out loud. But as the singer it was easy for him to go away and get a publishing deal, even though he had never written a single song. The rest of us were all worrying about what happened next.
How did the reunion sixteen years later come about?
I had been with That Petrol Emotion, and had a couple of kids. I also had various jobs including teaching guitar. In 1999 we got back together for what was intended as a one-off gig, and the four of us [without Sharkey, who declined to participate] said we didn’t know we were that good. Everyone felt the same.
Newcomer Paul McLoone doesn’t sing anything like Feargal.
On some songs you’d be surprised. When Paul joined, it just felt like it was meant to be. Are the band still on good terms with Feargal? Even when he was with us, we never really mixed. There was a kind of schism between him and the rest of us. That was maybe because he didn’t really get involved in the songwriting.
Did his reinvention as a high-profile crusader for water cleanliness take you all by surprise?
Not really. He always had ambitions to make money, and to do well. Good luck to him.
With Paul McLoone at the mic the band released two albums – Get What You Need and Dig Yourself Deep – but there hasn’t been anything new for almost twenty years. Will that change?
For the first time in a long time we have six or seven new songs, so there’s a good possibility of that happening. Maybe we’ll release them as EPs [instead of in album form]. But it would be great to get some new Undertones songs in the set.
Presumably you still play all of the hits – Teenage Kicks, Jimmy Jimmy, Here Comes The Summer, My Perfect Cousin and It’s Going To Happen?
I don’t write the setlist. But yeah, we do all of the predictable songs. Paul sings them really well, and the chemistry within the band never went away.
The Undertones’ tour begins on Thursday (November 12) at the Torquay Arena. For dates and tickets, visit the Undertones website.
(LouderSound)
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