Classic hits on the menu as iconic Undertones return

The Undertones come to Róisín Dubh on Friday, August 11. The Derry band were a revelation at last year’s Galway Arts Festival, when they opened for Elvis Costello in The Big Top. Fronted by Today FM DJ Paul McLoone, who joined the band in 1999, the quintet put on a show of pomp, pop and swagger. For some punters, The Undertones were the stars of the evening – their set was certainly much louder than Costello’s!

But it’s not just sound and fury with The Undertones – songs like Jimmy, Jiimmy, My Perfect Cousin and Teenage Kicks are absolute classics. Anyone who enjoyed last year’s set, or just appreciates sublime guitar-pop, should go to see them in the more intimate Dominick Street venue.

The Undertones formed in 1974, but it was the advent of punk a few years later that gave them the impetus they needed.  In 1978, legendary DJ John Peel played their breakout single Teenage Kicks on his BBC Radio show.  Infamously, he enjoyed it so much that he played it decided to play it twice.   It became his favourite song. Peel died in 2004, and the lyrics ‘teenage dreams so hard to beat’ appear on his headstone.

The Undertones broke up in 1983 before reforming in 1999, with McLoone stepping into Fergal Sharkey’s role.  He’s taken to the role with aplomb, and this could well be one of the gigs of the summer.

■ Tickets €30/€28.