Undertones musical written for Derry's city of culture celebrations

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/oct/30/undertones-musical-derry-punk-culture

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A musical dedicated to Derry band The Undertones – whose hits included Teenage Kicks and My Perfect Cousin – will be premiered in the city as part of its UK city of culture celebrations next year.

However, the band members have distanced themselves from the project. None of The Undertones are taking part in the musical which will be written by Colin Bateman, the author of Divorcing Jack and other bestselling novels.

The Undertones formed in 1975 and, with Feargal Sharkey on vocals, released four albums and 13 singles before he left in 1983. Their punk/new wave sound became synonymous with late 70s adolescent angst.

Asked about possible participation in the musical, Damian O'Neill who, along with his brother John, played guitar in the band said "absolutely not". Other band members also insisted they would not be involved.

Colin Bateman, who was a punk when The Undertones burst onto the music scene in the late 70s, emphasised that the musical is not actually about the Derry-born band.

"It's a musical that uses the band's music (and a few other songs of that era as well) to help illustrate the story, which is still kind of vague at the moment, but will be about what it was like to be a teenager back in the late 70s," he told the Guardian.

Bateman said he was not worried that none of the band were taking part in producing the musical.

"It's just the songs we're using, and the challenge is figuring out how to use them in the story so that it all makes sense," he said.

The Bangor-based novelist said he has been trying to write about the punk era in Northern Ireland all of his life.

"There were many novels started when I was a teenager and now finally, I've realised this is the best way to do it, with a musical. A huge help with this will be the fact that The Undertones didn't just write great tunes, their lyrics were very smart and told really great stories. It will be set in Derry, but it will tell a universal story – all the great musicals do.

"I was very lucky in that one of my school friends was Gavin Martin who started Alternative Ulster (a local punk fanzine), and so I was turned on to punkrock right away at the very start. And it all coincided with the start of our teenage drinking and my failure to attract girls," Bateman said.

Bassist Mickey Bradley, who wrote an Undertones biography back in 1978, said: "Personally speaking, I wish Colin Bateman and Pearse Moore (the co-writer) all the best in this venture. I don't know much about it, but as long as it's not the story of the Undertones I'm happy. If it happens, then that's great. If it happens and it's great then that is even better. If it doesn't happen then I'll be OK with that too."

There has been a recent upsurge in interest in the Northern Irish punk scene, which emerged in the middle of the Troubles and managed, spontaneously, to bring together Protestant and Catholic teenagers for a short few years.

A film called Good Vibrations, about Ulster punk's "godfather", Terri Hooley, who discovered The Undertones, was screened to critical acclaim at last month's London Film Festival. Ron Howard, who directed the Hollywood movies Cocoon and A Beautiful Mind, and starred in Happy Days, has raved about the film on Twitter. Howard tweeted that the biopic with the backdrop of the Troubles was "terrific, inspiring, funny" and that it had "great music and character moments".

But Bateman has said that he doesn't want to catch a wave of Ulster punk nostalgia.

"I'm not really interested. I've been to punk reunion gigs and they aren't usually a pleasant sight. A sea of balding, middle aged men pogoing, anyone?

"I'm interested in a show that will have universal appeal. The Undertones' songs aren't brilliant because they are from the punk era or from Derry, they would be classics in any era and can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of Chuck Berry or The Beatles."