Life was tough for young people growing up in Northern Ireland in the late 70s - unemployment, poverty and the troubles all loomed large, as well as the universal concerns of teen angst and heartbreak. The Undertones focussed mainly on the last two with their songs that were instantly relatable to anyone who has ever sat in their bedroom wondering if they will ever get a girlfriend / boyfriend (delete as appropriate).
The late John Peel famously declared that Teenage Kicks was his favourite song of and played it twice in a row on his show. It’s still as good as it ever was, but there is a lot more to discover on this album with 16 songs clocking it at just over half an hour. It’s punk played with considerable verve and sung by Feargal Sharkey with his distinctive warbling vocals that were unlike anything else in the charts at the time.
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