TELEVISION APPEARANCES
TOP OF THE POPS (All are mimed performances)
26.10.78 Teenage Kicks. Mimed, but to a re-recorded version.
03.05.79 Jimmy Jimmy. First appearance.
17.05.79 Jimmy Jimmy. Second appearance.
26.07.79 Here Comes The Summer. Damian played bass while Mickey played keyboards!
15.11.79 You’ve Got My Number.
03.04.80 My Perfect Cousin. One of two appearances.
1980 My Perfect Cousin. Date unknown, second of two appearances.
05.81 It’s Going To Happen!
1981 Julie Ocean. The band’s final TOTP appearance, for which Feargal remained seated.
Other known television appearances……
Recording Teenage Kicks, November 1978
This isn’t actually the recording of Teenage Kicks, but what looks like a staged reconsruction! The band are shown in what looks like a fairly small studio/room, performing the track. This clip is something of a coup, as musically it is a different take to the released version. In addition to being shown on Channel 4, this is available officially on the Warner Brothers Punk compilation video (see elsewhere).
‘Mersey Pirates’, 1979
Another film of the band recording Teenage Kicks, albeit different from the above. This time the band are shown in a full size recording studio, complete with narration from an unknown/unseen presenter. During the latter part of the song, the film cuts into the above, November 1978, footage!
‘Shellshock Rock’ 1979 film
Teenage Kicks (Live, Chesters, Portrush 04.11.78)
Here Comes The Summer(Live, Pound Bar, 12.78)
This is a fairly well known short film/ documentary about the bands and music scene in Northern Ireland.
As well as The Undertones, also featured are Rudi, The Outcasts, Stiff Little Fingers & The Idiots, amongst others. In addition to live performances, most of the bands are interviewed - including The Undertones. It’s possible that this particular film has also been known as New Wave In Ireland.
This film was once shown late one night on Channel 4. Despite The Undertones appearing in the credits they didn’t appear in the actual film! There are some awful quality bootleg copies of their performances circulating amongst collectors.
OGWT 30.01.79
Get Over You/ Jump Boys.
Both tracks recorded live at the Lyceum 03.12.78. The above date is the broadcast date.
OGWT 06.03.79
Male Model/ Jimmy Jimmy/ Wrong Way/ True Confessions.
All four tracks performed live in the studio. Both Jimmy Jimmy, during which Feargal fluffs the lyrics, and True Confessions have been repeated since the original broadcast. Feargal introduces True Confessions as, “the last good song of the programme”.
Nationwide, November 1979
A news report, shared with Stiff Little Fingers, on the music scene in Northern Ireland. The band are briefly interviewed and featured live, playing You’ve Got my Number.
‘Green Rock’ BBC Northern Ireland 6.11.79
Band interview/ Family Entertainment/ I Gotta Getta/ Girls That Don’t Talk/ Whizz Kids/ See That Girl/ Nine Times Out Of Ten/ The Way Girls Talk/ You’ve Got My Number/ Get Over You/ True Confessions.
The Undertones featured on the first programme of this series, shown only in Northern Ireland. Caron Keating and Paul Clark presented the show, the latter interviewed the band in their dressing room at the beginning of the show. A still from this interview can be found on the inner sleeve of the Hypnotised album. The band then performed live before a studio audience, who, for some reason, were behind a barrier some distance from the band!
‘Chorus’ French TV, 1980
Hannah Doot/ There Goes Norman/ See That Girl/ More Songs About Chocolate & Girls/ Male Model/ Hypnotised/ Under The Boardwalk/ Rock n’ Roll.
A live performance, recorded in Paris. The only copy I’ve seen of this is in black & white, and appalling quality!
‘Something Else’, 19.01.80
My Perfect Cousin/ There Goes Norman.
A live studio performance, with no audience present. The show was a community project, and also featured Rudi.
‘Runaround’ 1980
Wednesday Week?
A tea-time children’s quiz show, hosted by Mike Reid.
‘Cheggers Plays Pop’ & ‘Get It Together’ 1980
Mentioned on the Castle re-issue of Hypnotised sleeve notes. No further details.
Alabamahalle, Munich, Germany 1981
Julie Ocean.
A live performance, broadcast on German TV.
Werchter Festival, Belgium 05.07.81
Julie Ocean.
This clip, presumably from Belgian TV, featured Julie Ocean live, preceeded by some brief backstage footage of the band. Sadly, the film crew appeared to be more interested in the audience than they did with the band at times!
‘Rockpalast’, Essen Grugahalle, Germany 17.10.81
You’ve Got My Number/ Hypnotised/ His Goodlooking Girlfriend/ Tearproof/ See That Girl/ Girls That Don’t Talk/ It’s Going To Happen!/ Jimmy Jimmy/ I Don’t Know/ More Songs About Chocolate & Girls/ Forever Paradise/ Beautiful Friend/ Julie Ocean/ You’re Welcome/ When Saturday Comes/ Jump Boys/ Teenage Kicks/ Get Over You/ Sigh & Explode/ My Perfect Cousin/ Get It On
This show was broadcast live on both television and radio throughout Europe. The original broadcast featured an interview with the band twenty minutes after they came off stage. The show has been broadcast on the WDR satellite channel in recent times, minus the interview at the end.
‘Whatever You Want’, Live at Brixton Ace 06.12.82
When Saturday Comes/ Untouchable/ I Don’t Know/ Chain Of Love/ The Love Parade/ Tearproof/ Valentine’s Treatment/ Crisis Of Mine/ Beautiful Friend/ Teenage Kicks.
The band were on top form for this performance on a (then) new Channel 4 show.
‘Whatever You Didn’t Get’, Live at Brixton Ace 06.12.82
Crisis Of Mine/ Julie Ocean.
Although the above two tracks are from the same show as the Whatever You Want broadcast, this portion was shown later in early 1983. Crisis Of Mine featured in the previous broadcast, but Julie Ocean was not previously shown. In addition, these two tracks were preceeded by a short introduction by the band themselves, which took the form of them being situated in an office!
ORS (On Road Special), February 1983
Conscious/ The Love Parade.
A live performance before a studio audience. A very brief snippet of the intro to Cher O’Bowlies can just be heard as the show ends and fades.
‘The Tube’ Channel 4, 17.03.83
The band appeared on the St Patrick’s Day special edition of The Tube. A short film, prior to The Undertones’ live studio performance, featured Feargal and Terri Hooley reminiscing in the Good Vibrations shop in Belfast. Later in the show, The Undertones performed the following songs live:
Got To Have You Back/ Chain Of Love/ Luxury.
In order for the band to play, an interview with Bono of U2 had to be cut short. It would appear that there is some justice in this world after all!
‘Sight & Sound In Concert’, Hitchin Regal Theatre, 19.03.83
When Saturday Comes/ Conscious/ Untouchable/ Jimmy Jimmy/ The Love Parade/ Crisis Of Mine/ Got To Have You Back/ Beautiful Friend/ Julie Ocean/ Luxury/ Teenage Kicks/ Chain Of Love/ You’ve Got My Number/ Cher O’Bowlies.
Broadcast on both BBC Television and Radio One simultaneously. In more recent times, this has been doing the rounds on various satellite and cable channels (VH-1, UK Gold & UK Arena). The VH-1 broadcast features the complete Cher O’Bowlies (which faded early on the original broadcast) along with the previously unscreened Get Over You.
TV appearances cont…
Razzmatazz, April 1983
Chain Of Love.
A mimed performance, on an early evening children’s pop show. Feargal looked more like a Bono wannabe than The Undertones’ frontman – perhaps the end was inevitable?
‘Switch’ Channel 4, 22.04.83
Untouchable/ Chain Of Love/ Conscious.
A live, in the studio, performance. Switch was a Channel 4 arts/music show, broadcast in the absence of The Tube. The atmosphere in the studio was somewhat tame, polite hand claps et al. The Undertones also performed Love Before Romance (complete with haunting bass line) at the same time. This was broadcast on a later show, in May 1983, after the band had announced their intention to split.
‘Elixir Festival’ July 1983
Ain’t Got Nobody/ Julie Ocean.
These two live tracks were extracted from the band’s performance at the Elixir Festival in France and shown on French TV. The show was one of the Undertone’s last live performances. Ain’t Got Nobody is something of a rarity, having never been officially released and only ever performed live.
‘Rockin The North’ Programmes 3 & 4, 1994
Rockin’ The North was a six part documentary series produced by Ulster TV, which charted the history of music in Northern Ireland. Inevitably, The Undertones were featured. Footage used relied upon Shellshock Rock interview material, which was over dubbed with Teenage Kicks and was augmented with the promo video for the same. Present day interviews with Michael Bradley and John O’Neill were also featured, in what appears to be an art gallery.
Ulster TV News, December 1998
Short news item concerning an exhibition of Irish music. Billy is briefly interviewed, along with clips of memorabilia he donated to the exhibition. Also shown is a wage slip showing how much he earned in 1981!
Ulster TV News, 19.07.99
On July 17th 1999, the Undertones ‘reformed’ – minus Feargal Sharkey. The reunion was at the request of the Saw Doctors, whose vocalist, Davy Carton, became a stand in Feargal for the day. The band performed an encore of two songs, Teenage Kicks and Get Over You, after the Saw Doctors’ set at the Galway Arts Festival.
The event was the subject of a regional TV news report, which featured brief interview snippets with all four of The Undertones present. In addition, members of the Saw Doctors spoke briefly, as did John O’Neill’s wife. A brief clip of the afternoon’s performance of Teenage Kicks also featured in the report. Back in the studio, Terri Hooley was interviewed.
The very same evening, the band performed at a hotel in Salthill, Galway. They performed the same seven Undertones originals, twice! Set list (I believe): Teenage Kicks/ You’ve Got My Number/ My Perfect Cousin/ Get Over You/ Wednesday Week/ Jimmy Jimmy/ Male Model.
‘UTV Life’, 21.11.99
Report on the Nerve Centre gigs, including live footage and backstage footage/interviews from the 19th November show.
Note: The entire show from the 19th November gig was filmed by Ulster TV, including interviews with all the band members apart from Billy.
‘Top Ten: Punk’, Channel 4, 05.02.00
The Undertones ranked sixth in this somewhat dubious points awarded countdown – sandwiched between Sham 69 & Buzzcocks. Of course, one could ask were the Undertones actually punk? But that’s another story…
Malcolm McLaren introduced the segments of this particular show with Ian Dury (RIP) providing the voiceovers. All five ex-band members were interviewed – and how bloody great they all still look. Archive photo’s (some fantastic early poses) and film were also used, but the interviews provide perhaps the greatest insights. For instance, Feargal’s explanation of Teenage Kicks, or John O’Neill’s declaration that gigs, such as the ones held at the Nerve Centre late last year, could possibly be used as a means to finance future recordings.
RADIO SESSIONS
** Recording dates are listed first, followed by original broadcast date.
John Peel. Recording date unknown. 16.10.78.
Get Over You/ Top Twenty/ She Can Only Say No/ Male Model.
It’s rumoured that the band also recorded Mars Bars for this session, but this couldn’t be broadcast because of it’s commercial content. The master tape for this session was long considered lost, until John Peel found it in his attic in the summer of 1992.
John Peel. 22.01.79. 05.02.79.
Listening In/ Family Entertainment/ Billy’s Third/ Here Comes The Summer.
This has been officially released both as a 12” EP and as part of the full sessions album.
John Peel. Recording date unknown. Broadcast date circa 1979.
Top Twenty/ Whizz Kids/ Nine Times Out Of Ten/ The Way Girls Talk.
This isn’t actually recognised as an official Peel session as such. Although all the above tracks were played on air by Peel, they’re actually “early run throughs” of tracks sent to him by the band.
John Peel. 21.01.80. 23.01.80.
Girls That Don’t Talk/ Tearproof/ What’s With Terry?/ Rock ‘n Roll.
This session has the added bonus of featuring the only studio version of Gary Glitter’s Rock ‘n Roll to be recorded by the band. This session also makes up part of the official sessions album.
John Peel. Recording date unknown. 09.12.80.
The Positive Touch/ You’re Welcome/ When Saturday Comes.
Many believe that these versions are far superior to the takes that finished up on The Positive Touch album. Certainly, both You’re Welcome and When Saturday Comes sound great in the fairly raw state in which they are represented here. This session is credited as being a private tape, which re-enforces the rumour that these tracks were essentially demo’s.
Richard Skinner. 16.08.81. 26.08.81.
Song Number One/ Bye Bye Baby Blue/ Beautiful Friend/ Just Like Romeo & Juliet.
This is quite a session for the discerning Undertones fan! Song Number One is, in fact, a version of Like That. Although Bye Bye Baby Blue went on to appear as a B side and album track, this version has some alternate lyrical content. Meanwhile, Just Like Romeo & Juliet, a cover of the Michael & The Messengers song, remains an unreleased ‘Tones gem.
This session was repeated on February 15th of the following year, which also featured a live interview with Feargal. Feargal explained during the interview that the intention of the session was to present the songs in their infancy, with some of them just a few days old
John Peel. 08.11.82. 07.12.82.
Untouchable/ The Love Parade/ Luxury/ The Sin Of Pride.
The Undertones’ final radio session, which also makes up part of the sessions album. These are fairly basic versions of tracks which would eventually help make the Sin Of Pride album.
…We’re not yet done with the airwaves yet……
The Radio One show Rock On featured interviews with the band twice. The first time was on 5th May 1979, when Michael and Damian spoke about the band’s debut album. Michael returned, along with Feargal, on 23rd May 1981 to talk about The Positive Touch album.
On 22nd October 1988, Radio One broadcast a programme on the subject of Northern Ireland punk bands. Inevitably, The Undertones featured, with Damian providing the spoken segments.
More recently, Michael Bradley produced a series of four programmes for BBC Radio Ulster, titled My Life As An Undertone. The shows were broadcast during March 1997, with each one lasting a quarter of an hour. Largely spoken word, the series is a light hearted look at Michael’s career with the band, as told by the man himself. The only music to be featured is a brief snippet of the Teenage Kicks intro.
