The Undertones: 50th Anniversary Show

On 17 October 2026 at O2 Institute Birmingham, The Undertones mark fifty years of sharp riffs and melodic punch. Formed in Derry in the mid-70s, the Northern Irish band forged a style that splices punk urgency with pop instinct: fast, concise songs about everyday life, teenage crushes and the small dramas that stick. The original line-up gathered Feargal Sharkey on vocals with John and Damian O’Neill on guitars, Michael Bradley on bass and Billy Doherty on drums, a tight unit whose early records set a template for direct, hook-heavy power pop.

The story didn’t stop with the early split. Reformed in the late 90s with Paul McLoone on vocals, the group kept writing lean, melodic tracks and brought them back on the road with the same sense of economy and drive. This 50th Anniversary Show looks across the band’s arc, from the raw immediacy of the first albums to the punch of the 2000s releases, carried by choruses that land fast and clean. A set built for movement, short songs that hit and run, and a band that still plays like the clock runs on two-minute bursts.