TUNE-UPS LOST CLASSICS
WHEN THE UNDERTONES released their third album, Positive Touch, in 1981, it marked a distinct change in direction for the Northern Irish punks. They broke through with the all-time punk classic, “Teenage Kicks” in 1978, followed by a string of hits and two albums that were very much in tune with the rough-and-ready punk ethos of the era. The Undertones always had strong pop sensibilities, but Positive Touch pushed those elements to the forefront — with an overt Sixties influence in the mix — and is now viewed as something of a lost classic.
The Undertones are still active as a band, touring regularly with all of the original lineup still intact, save for the substitution of Paul McLoone for original vocalist Feargal Sharkey, who left the band in 1983. Damian O’Neill, the band’s lead guitarist, has released a number of solo and collaborative albums since 2000, and is now promoting his recent, largely instrumental solo album, An Crann.
