110 - 50 Years of The Undertones with Damian O'Neill Undertones (Derry)

This week we celebrate 50 years of The Undertones with guitar player Damian O’Neill.

Damien kept diaries during the early years of the band & reads extracts for us throughout & he tells us about joining the band age 15 & their first gig at a local scout hall. From there The Undertones honed their craft playing regularly at The Casbah in their hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland.

His older brother John O’Neill starts to write songs & they record their debut release The Teenage Kicks EP - after which John Peel plays it & becomes a fan - resulting in the songs success & an appearance on Top Of The Pops.

The day after their TV debut the band return to Derry for a triumphant homecoming gig at The Rocking Chair, a local pub.

Damien tells us about briefly touring with Joy Division & The Rezillos & their ill fated attempt to stage a festival in their hometown headlined by The Clash. The festival is cancelled after Joe Strummer receives a letter from local political loyalists.

In return for the cancellation, the Undertones get to open for The Clash on a US tour in the Autumn of 1979.

Damien also tells us about his favourite Undertones tracks, his brother John getting arrested on tour & previews the upcoming 50th anniversary gigs later this year.

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Music by Andy Maxwell

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