There is a mountain in heaven made of 7-inch records. Mount John Peel.
On that mountain you will find Bowie, Bolan, the New Fast Automatic Daffodils, The Wedding Present (touring Australian July, 2017 as well), The Smiths, The Fall, Joy Division, The Hitchers, The White Stripes, Pink Floyd and many, many, many more. All plucked from obscurity by John Peel, the most important DJ of all time.
At the top of that mountain sits his favourite song, 'Teenage Kicks' by Derry's The Undertones. Forever. Peel wanted the opening line: “Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?” as his epitaph.
As I chat with the truest gent, guitarist Damian O'Neill of The Undertones by phone in London, I try to ask of this iconic 7-inch piece of culture in an original way. We speak about John Peel’s funeral. He speaks emotionally of how his coffin was carried out of the church to 'Teenage Kicks'.
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“We were there. We were choking up, it was pretty powerful. For us he was a kinda hero, like a father figure, a mentor,” Damian says. “He never hung around with us really during that time. He kept his distance. He was also a very shy guy, he didn't want to impose too much. All bands need a bit of luck. With John Peel and Terri Hooley [who ran the 'Good Vibrations' record label]... we got seriously lucky. We owe him a lot.”
From the depths of the troubles of the '70s North of Ireland, inspired by The Ramones and The Buzzcocks, punk and new wave, the rock gods rendered unto us The Undertones, an unlikely clatter of poptastic noise merchants in anoraks, jumpers and playing Subbuteo.
Makers of timeless classics that resonate with audiences across generations. I recall seeing 'My Perfect Cousin' come on the TV with pals during the Nirvana and Soundgarden days. “What the fuck is that?!” “That's The Undertones man, my older brother has all their records. That's shit cool man!”
We have a laugh about singing and “wish(ing) I was back home in Derry” from Sydney. So how are things back home? “I think people are a bit tentative at the moment with the Tory deal with the DUP. People in Derry are wondering what sweeteners the DUP will get.”
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The DUP or Democratic Unionist Party got ten seats in the recent British elections. They are one of the many signatories of the Good Friday agreement, along with nationalist Sinn Féin party and the Irish and British governments. A hard won peace deal and a beacon of hope to conflicts around the world. “Nationalists in Northern Ireland are worried about what that could mean for the peace process because it could jeopardise things. How can the British government be honest brokers if they are being propped up by the DUP?”
Caught by the short and curlies? “In a nutshell, yes.”
The NME ran a piece on some of the DUP's more interesting positions including opposing LGBT rights, abortion and denying climate change. “I don’t think it will (go back to the bad old days). The one good thing is… everyone in Britain is now looking at 'Who are the DUP?'. So it’s making people aware of how narrow-minded and bigoted they are. Too stuck in their ways. But they have some new, younger blood coming through, so I dunno.”
A lot going on then. But hey kids, rock & roll. The Undertones are coming to Australia for the first time. When did Damian O'Neill become an Undertone? “I was born in '61, so I was 17 when we were signed. I was the youngest, the baby.”
So did mega-stardom hit once 'Teenage Kicks' happened on the 'Top Of The Pops'? “With the ladies? Haha, definitely not. We were too ugly.” The anoraks can't have helped? “Well, that’s a cliché. Honestly, most of our fans were male. It was more of a lads thing. We didn’t attract many girls. Plus the punk rock thing was mostly male then.”
Let’s talk about the later albums. Paul McCloone on vocals. “We felt we had to do new material. Playing all the old stuff live is all well and good. John was coming up with new songs, so we said let’s try it with Paul. Break the monotony.”
Keep the grey artistic matter moving. Which Damian and John of The Undertones had done in the '80s/ '90s with That Petrol Emotion. So the creative, musical narrative continued between both eras of The Undertones. I saw them in The Trip to Tipp at Feile '93. Still to this day the loudest rock gig I was ever at. Fronted by the magnetic American kid Steve Mack.
“Steve is one of the nicest guys in rock & roll. We were based in London since '85. I'm settled here now with a family. But I may move back to Derry some day. But it's just the weather, too wet and miserable. It's worse than Limerick!”
We speak about the Johnny Marr biography (I'm still reading it!) and the joyful tales of an iconic band's rise to greatness. Have The Undertones thought of writing their story? “You should check out the book by Mickey Bradley. Very funny, worth checking out.”
A most enjoyable chat. Everyone I've told is buzzing about the gig. Not to be missed. As the world goes pear-shaped, it seems this is a well timed chat. Time to remember the force that music can be.
The Undertones Tour Dates
Fri 7 Jul - The Triffid (Brisbane)Sat 8 Jul - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
Sun 9 Jul - The Gov (Adelaide)
Fri 14 Jul - Corner Hotel (Melbourne)
Sat 15 Jul - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
