PUNK THE UNDERTONES Garage, Glasgow, Sat 24 Sep
Number one song in heaven? Well, if a certain much missed Radio 1 DJ and avuncular mentor to the Undertones made it onto St Peter’s guest list last year then there could be just one contender.
For we’re talking about a symphony in two minutes and 27 seconds, recorded by a bunch of parka- wearing-Subbuteo-flick-kicking-teen-spiritualists from Derry with a reworked lyric for a tune originally dedicated to the pursuit of onanism.
Speaking in 2001, John Peel said: ‘Maybe once a fortnight, after a few days of listening to sizzling new releases and worrying that the music is merging into a characterless soup, I play ‘Teenage Kicks“ to remind myself how a great record should sound . . . ’
And it was their debut single, remember, their first bloody go! No fluke either, given they went on to become a brilliant singles band — the likes of “My Perfect Cousin’, ‘When Saturday Comes’ and ‘Chain of Love' put them right up there with the Kinks, T Rex and the Smiths.
WORLD
The reason they split in 83, other than the usual wanting-to-kill-each-other band stuff, was probably down to their record company and — ‘fraid we can‘t let ourselves off the hook here, kids — us, the fans, wanting them to remain the same.
Post-split, singer Feargal Sharkey went on to form the Assembly with Vince Clarke then followed up as a Top to solo act. Guitarist brothers John and Damian O‘Neill put together the much feted but commercially underachieving That Petrol Emotion. Bass player Michael Bradley became a courier. dodging cabbies in London, and Billy Doherty continued drumming in Derry with the Carrelines.
Now they‘re back — minus Sharkey (who is preoccupied being National Pop Tsar). A good thing? This sceptic suggests not, the reason being that by reactivating something held dear by many of us, um, middle youths, one fears discovering those ‘teenage dreams' truly are ‘so hard to beat'. The band themselves, who have never been guilty of taking themselves too seriously, say it‘s for all the craic, and are determined to mix up a set of oldies and newies that will, of course, include That Song. (Rodger Evans)
AMADOU AND MIRIAM King Tut's, Glasgow, Sat 1 Oct
ol Imported Western Vinyl heard on the ratlo, Inert» ‘.'.tu't' tr!th r «our r ol the AllKléill guitar arourrtl. treating; a new eiw tut hypnotic rhythrns; ol the halalon, kora, arrrl Ir.t.\'ra (not w; 'r ' and (:hanted rrllts.
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But rt was; a meeting only a letv years; auo with a In}. -n- lary IHLJS;()/[)r()(llt(:er that trnally brought the (,ourrle to the m rr’tl wtaue, at it .:~ success lor therr re(;ent alhurrr [)r/rra/rtlre a Hawaiian Arrurtltur nx rlm 'Manu Chao (hammered one ol our trat lat; t >:‘. ltw ratl > a: llrarl ,r at lllSt Sight". We met rn a lt‘t.(ll(llll\] stuvl'o ,rr'tl at ttrt: er llt t t’w <:.r.' tracks were re( ()lttMl It (’arrre naturally allttr that rr'l< Irrnrnt r it':
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The kids in America find ldlewild’s Roger Wimpole - sorry, Roddy Woomble, a real mouthful.
So l'n: :n /\rn~::<‘a not;
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kuartl‘eenu. (a. i: tlay airs-my» t)llll(.lf$ a ten; lrelty tauqlr; tritifllly .' t the expense of the (:omrrruniriatmn harner lret\.‘/een the Srjottrfsh accent and rrno’ westein truafk ‘stor; attendant“, l'rnalrnost (.ont;1(lt‘-r:r‘.(;(luau:er my name tor the month, tortul; \IVoornhle herer an alive-sat lill‘ixltx‘rltlttt nlout rttr; tor titan); ale out‘-.'.'rtlr the rrra;or trtrer; l'w hem: (TEltl“(l ew-nythwzu troru Huger Vootlrntrle to VVUUtly Winn)», although our gustav player Hort Jone“; Illll()(tll(ltti‘rll on a live radio ‘Ettltrflll af; (Ilautle Honef; l'(?ltl;t!ltf§ a per‘lottal lax'ouhte
ltltf; ‘f/tlt he out f)()\v'(“l‘!”‘. US? tour l\rery tune 'rn hen:- | \'.’t)li'\lt“ what at is; that keeps; us turning) txrr‘k I've (tertarnly had many nrornenti; ol \‘xorrtlerrnu \‘slnt trn (lorntg l’layrrru at L’arn to hockey olayers; \‘Jtlitlltl enehrlarlau lrtrrn their rfheelxs It! a [WP/Kit)?!“ restaurant rrr13a1;l\atn<;rrv.=';r~;(vne ol then! Hot | suppo‘se rt unttertarnty it; the iltlit‘é? ( :t He. then lzeint} iii a touring; hanrl rs pretty ltlu';lr the (BSSIUIK e of that And tor htrsawge.’ rnur‘h l tiltttt‘lfit‘ that. it has been rn, etlutatrtrn for the pint eruht yearr; Aral to: that tarrr truly (iratetut no matter how llltlt‘tl I Have llt)llll(ltt.‘,
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THE LIST 59