![[Undertones]](/ub4.png)
Cliff writes:-
Wed 19th Dec - [Savoy Theatre - Cork 2001-12-19] - We left Galway at approx 1.30, I had the mother of all hangovers although I hadn't had much to drink??? We Stopped off along the way and had a delicious seafood chowder.Henry told me a friend of his plays the guitar and performs in local pubs around London.He does his own accoustic version of 'I don't know' which sounds great according to Henry.Imagine walking into a pub and the guy in the corner suddenly plays 'I don't know' it would be wierd wouldn't it? Not just coz its an Undertones song but such an unusual one to choose.
Time was getting on and Cork didn't seem to be getting much closer, sometimes its as if your treading water.All the signs being in kilometers makes it seem further than it really is.With no by-passes through the towns it obviously makes the journey longer but atleast you get to see places and without exception all the towns we went through were attractive.Nothing elaborate about them, very simple buildings but somehow appealing, the Christmas lights also helped.Henry made a good point that all the shops are privately owned so the owners take more pride in their appearance,you dont get 'Boots' or 'Dixons' everywhere you go, as in England.
We arrived in Cork around 7ish but this was a completely different kettle of fish to Galway! It was Dublin by the sea, incredibly busy for that time in the evening.We eventually parked in a multi-story which closed at midnight.I still hadn't booked anywhere to stay for the night, planning to kip on somebodys floor but my bravado was starting to wane, didn't fancy that much now.We found the venue and got in without showing our tickets, courtesy of the fact that we were the 'banner men'.Once again there was nowhere to hang it on stage so we plumped for a balcony opposite.It was behind the audience so it wasn't perfect but as girlfriends have always told me 'Oh well, anything is better than nothing'.
Henry showed all his Boy Scout skills and I stood back and watched in awe of his knott tying technique.I went down to the stage to see how it looked and who should walk past but Mickey Bradley 'What do you think of that?' I asked pointing up at the banner, 'Aye thats grand'.You Can't ask for a better stamp of approval than that. I'd agreed to sell the official t-shirts at this gig, so I had to meet the tour manager Barry Stewart somewhere.The shirts are available in 3 colours and consist of the arrow on the front and a much smaller arrow on the back.The smaller arrow on the back points directly to my bald patch.
I asked around and was told to try the dressing room as he should be there.Sitting alone inside was MB, plucking away at his guitar, we had a brief chat about the meaning of life and I moved on, but no sign of Barry Stewart.So imagine the scenario:I knew where the changing rooms were and when I went back to the bar who should arrive but John and Damian(O'Neill that is).After a chat with the rest of TheUndertones.net crowd, they asked 'anyone know where the changing rooms are?'.Aha, this is my cue 'Yes, I do follow me!!!'.So there I am showing my childhood heroes where they needed to go.Surprisingly I didn't fall ass over head down the stairs.I found Barry Stewart and arranged to meet him afterwards to sell the shirts.Dominic(a contributer to this site)was also there, all the way from the midlands just for this gig as he couldn't make Dublin.
The mini bus mob had arrived, Lindsay, Al, George, Derek and eventually Donald, John(James Bond?) and Wilke.We made our way into the arena, it was another one of those Victorian era type of Theartres with the balcony above although the upstairs was closed.If the venue held 1000 then I'd say there were 600 in when the band came on.Once again there was a big gap at the front and Paul persuaded the nervous crowd to fill it.It was a bit awkward as we shuffled towards the front and this then left a gap between the front lot and the rest.As in Galway though, half way through the set everybody was relaxed and it was going off big time.About 50 of us at the front pogoing and dancing, all sorts there, hippies, punks and once again a wide range of ages and a fair percentage of girls.
The band had to work hard to get to this point but it was a top atmosphere by now and as per usual 'Teenage Kicks' swelled the numbers at the front.Now I have a point to make here and maybe somebody in the know will tell me why/if I'm wrong.When the crowd need some persuasion to get going(i.e.Galway and Cork) why not play TK early in the set to get them to the front? Also, in Cork, TK was followed by a new song, therefore those that had come to the front then immediately left again.If TK had been followed by 2 or 3 classics people would have been more likely to stay at the front.Well,thats my two pennies worth.By now the new songs were starting to stay much more in mind and I was chuffed at how good they sounded.
Towards the end of the set I looked around and the place was much more full, apparently some people hadn't recieved the letter saying that the doors now opened at 7.30 rather than 9pm so had naturally turned up late.What a shame and if I was one of them I'd be well pissed off even if I lived in Cork. It was another excellent performance from the band and a great atmosphere when we all got going.A few more older 'B' sides are now in there 'Smarter than you' being one of them.Mickey commented towards the end 'We're now reduced to playing 'B' sides' but we all know that an Undertones 'B' side is an 'A' by most other peoples standards.Great stuff, roll on Dublin!!
Agreed Arthur 'Oh Please' sounds great, just about my favourite.Can anybody confirm the name of the 'Escalator' song?
After the gig I helped out in selling the t-shirts, they went well enough.One bloke came back after about 10 minutes and asked if he could change his as it 'was a bit blurred at the end of the word 'Undertones''.D'OH!! we all went for a chinese and after that I was ready to hit the sack.donald has the energy of a teenager (as we noticed last year) and he went clubbing with his mate John 'til 4am ish.I decided against the floor idea and myself and Henry booked a room at Jury's Inn for around £40 sterling, good value for the standard.
Thu 20th December - [Olympia Theatre - Dublin 2001-12-20] - On our way out of Cork we saw a gig poster so pulled over and Henry went to 'retrieve' it, it came off with surprising ease.Half a mile further on we saw another so we did the same again, we were asked by some passers- by if we'd been to the gig and they said they had wanted to go themselves.Another long drive ahead, the car was a Picasso, and very nice to.I'd brought my tapes from England but sods law it only had a CD player.Fortunately Henry had the first 3 albums on CD with him so we blasted them for most of the journey.As I said to Henry I think its the first time in my life that I've played the Undertones full blast in the car and my passenger was as happy about it as me.
We arrived late afternoon in a freezing Dublin and headed for the Globetrotters and then on to 'O'Briens'.By this time Jon had joined us and CMoS was there with the legendary 'wifey' but nobody else arrived until we were about to go to the venue.What happened to the idea of all meeting up for a good Undertones natter? Jackie had arrived with her husband and we moved on to the Olympia.First impressions inside I was quite disappointed as we were only about 20 minutes away from the band getting on stage.But the Olympia has two bars and these were busy enough so things were looking up.Alex Divers introduced himself, he was there with a friend.The previous night in Cork I'd given my banner to the stage crew and it was hanging high above the stage.The place was filling, some there in Derry City shirts, I had to point out to them that Georges shirt was in fact Sunderland.
By now it was getting pretty packed and as last year there was that wonderful air of anticipation that had been missing in Galway and Cork.Thats what I love, when the crowd are up for it and not just curious spectators.Obviously nowadays there will be curious spectators seeing the band for the first time, many of them far to young to remember the first time around.Thats great and lets hope they continue to come, but for the old timers like me you need a good hard core of people that know the crack, they know why they're there, they know the rules, so lets get on with it.BRING 'EM ON!
The band are welcomed on like returning heroes, many were here last year I'll bet and they want more of the same.The atmosphere is electric before the match has even kicked off, the band must be aware of it, I feel so happy for them that they've had this sort of turn out one year on. 'Jimmy Jimmy' gets us on our way.Now its not manic by any stretch of the imagination, but you can sense things are gonna get rough.I'm towards the front and in front of me is a guy(late 40s) protecting his girlfriend.At this point its just the odd glance behind from him and his nervous partner but as we go on I start to get pushed and he becomes more anxious, but dont get the wrong impression, he's loving every moment himself.Its almost as if hes saying to his girlfriend 'I told you it wasn't like The Corrs didn't I?'.
Since opening my shop I've lost a bit of weight(no, not hair, weight!!)as CMoS kindly pointed out at the NFF in November.I'm on my feet for 8-12 hours a day and I noticed in Cork how I could dance for more than my usual 2 songs before taking a breather.IT WAS GREAT!! I could keep it going for 5/6 songs at a time!! This gig was just getting better and better, you could sense the band were loving it, the sound was fantastic, like Galway but it seemed twice as loud.I took a breather and gestured to Lindsay to wipe a tear from my eye, but thats how I felt.Watching The Undertones in this enviroment is like going back in time to those great days, like the Hammersmith Palais in 1980 all over again.Like watching Albion with Regis, Robson and Cunningham playing at their peak and hammering Man Utd.
'I Gotta Getta' got me back in the fray, everybody shouting every word of every song, I was gasping for breath at times, looking skywards and taking a gulp.Brilliant, whats next? does it really matter? The Undertones have a limitless supply of great songs, and unbelievably they've added to them with the new stuff which fits easily in with the set.'Teenage Kicks' gets the whole place jumping up and down but I was done for by now, I'd have to take a short breather.OH NO!! GIVE ME A BREAK!! NOT 'WHEN Sat COMES' NOT NOW PLEASE!! Can't we have 'Julie Ocean'? what are you trying to do, kill me??!! Fuck it, I'll have to get back in there for WSC.
Myself and Henry started in the arranged pub but within a few minutes a DJ or MC or whatever they like to call themselves started playing some 'acid' style music(as if I know what that is)so after a quick boogie we decided to leave.(mind you that Henry cant 'alf break dance).We went a few extra yards to the 'Living Room' an equally 'cool' place.George soon arrived followed by Derek, then Lindsay and Al.Another guy joined us who had travelled down from Northants(Pat cassidy?)-he said he thought he was the only person that still loved The Undertones.Yes, we've all been there until finding this website.Jackie had arranged to meet an Undertones girlfriend in London before the show and they went shopping.
We arrived at the Ritzy, an attractive Victorian type cinema, and Damian arrived around the same time(hope he's not stalking us?).Similar to a football stadium 5 minutes before kick off it was only half full but as the film started I looked around and we were almost at capacity.There was an empty seat behind me but that was filled just as the film started by someone wearing one of my t-shirts.I'd speak to him after, I thought.
This is the third time I'd seen the film but rather than taking it for granted I actually enjoyed it more than my previous viewings.I found the funny bits funnier(Seymour Steins 'pull over pull over' is a gem, and Feargal on TOGWT saying 'this is the last good song on the programme' is a real 'up yours' to whoever was on next-hopefully somebody like Peter Gabriel but I doubt it)and I was more touched by some other bits.I don't really know why but maybe I just picked up on more than I had previously.The songs are also at their best in this sort of venue, 'Teenage Kicks','Get Over You' and all the others booming out,crisp and clear-wonderful.
The ultimate tribute was to follow.After the credits there was a round of applause and I turned to the guy behind to ask who he was.He only just managed to say his name as he was openly crying-and why not? what is it about The Undertones that can have this effect? I was also (unashamedly)in tears at The Nerve Centre(last year)and the Mean Fiddler.Its not just the music, its more than that.Its the fact that all these years many of us thought we were the only ones that still cared, now find we're not, and are so happy to see the band finally get the recognition they should have got first time around.The fact that this film was made in the first place and the response it has recieved, aswell as the response at gigs, must surely show the band how highly they were thought of.
Derek, George, Henry, Pete and myself went for a drink and listened to fascinating stories from Derek and George about their adventures following the band first time around.Derek once walked from Aylesbury to London to see the next gig!!(approx 20 miles).Hopefully these stories will continue in the mini bus down to Cork
and a special mention to George, Jackie, Lindsay and Al who all made an approx 600 mile round trip to see the film,George and Jackie doing it all in one day.Derek only had to travel 300 miles-but decided against walking!!
Gig aside it was interesting to visit Belfast for the first time. While driving to the airport I was thinking about Ricks view regarding watching the same set over and over. Firstly I'd argue that I still listen to the albums over and over and nothing changes there, they still sound every bit as good as they did first time around. But more importantly, it's not just about the gig it's about the whole adventure, going somewhere new, experiencing a different culture, and meeting up with people met through the website. The gig is the high point of a short and interesting adventure. I love the bag packing, the sense of anticipation, driving to the airport on the open road with "Family Entertainment" "Tearproof" or whatever happens to be my favourite at the time blasting out so loud that I can see my wing mirrors vibrating.
I love Stanstead airport and the whole feel of airports in general, people eagerly awaiting their holidays or just returning from one. Getting there in plenty of time (usually!) and having a quiet pint while looking forward to whats still to come. I enjoy flying and especially to Ireland as it seems all so easy, hand luggage only, short flight and I'm there, no problem (except if your names Henry) . Arthur and George were waiting, poor old Arthur bent double as he has a bad back at the moment. We dropped George off at this incredible 3 bedroomed detatched house that he had all to himself for £15 AND that included breakfast!
Then a mile up the road we were stopped by a police woman and a couple of army blokes brandishing machine guns. This is a common sight in Eastern Europe and something I've become quite used to seeing, but I'd imagine it could be quite nerve racking if you're experiencing it for the first time. Anyway they were polite enough and we moved on, down the Falls Rd where you see all those murals on street corners. I'd have liked to have had a proper look but it wasn't the time or place. We sat chatting about the world in general, Arthur played me some of his own stuff, he's had an interesting life in music and has some great songs, very moving some of them, they make you think.
Sun afternoon we found the venue and it looked massive, we explained about the banner and they let us through. The back drop for the stage was a big slogan saying "West Belfast - Feile an Phobail" (Festival) . We werent sure whether to cover it with the banner but Arthur assured us it would be OK. Sure enough we were told by security to take it down so it ended up at the front of the stage where nobody could see it. George had had an interesting day, he'd been on the radio and won the local fun run. Arthur and myself had this amusing image of an 8-10 year olds race which George entered at the last minute, won easily and left them all in tears. But in truth it was the real deal and George was given a small plaque for his efforts. We payed a visit to "Good Vibrations" and I brought some CD's from a very laid back Terry Hooley. It was 5. 30 now so we decided to see if we could watch the sound check and we managed to get in easy enough again.
Paul and Damian, the "out of towners" were there waiting patiently for the others to arrive from Derry. Suddenly I realised that George and Arthur were discussing the glories of childbirth so I made quickly for the exit and found a kid kicking around a football. I challenged him to a game of penalties, he was only about 20, I'd show him. "England V Northern Ireland" we agreed and he promptly beat me with ease. Don't you just hate it when that happens?. Just as a foot note to my ramblings, Paul (vtu) had apparently arrived late the previous day from the USA and after the gig (finished at 1aM) had to drive back to Dublin (2 hours?) and do his breakfast show at 6aM. I bet he's sleeping well tonight.
I decided to play safe after Sats fiasco and leave for the airport with over 3 hours to spare. Nigel might be interested to know that over 30 Charlton Athletic youth players were on the plane as they were playing in a tournament in Northern Ireland. Lindsay and Alistair came to pick me up from the airport along with Henry who, unbelievably, does also support Wimbledon. His epic journey started at 4am Sat morning with a taxi across London then the train to Stansted. He waited for me with circa 1979 Undertones silk scarf around his wrist but of course his wait was in vain. Sadly for Henry while he was heading for Derry his luggage headed for Frankfurt! It was supposed to have come over with me on the Sun afternoon flight so I enquired about it while waiting in Derry airport but alas still no luggage. I was told it would be on the later flight and would be delivered to the B&B.
It was fast approaching 7pM so we met the others as agreed, including Wilke, Mickey Bradleys wife and Linus McLaughlin who was wearing that t-shirt we mentioned last week-. the Black & White one worn by Damian. We found the venue and it didn't surprise me at all, just what I'd imagined, a country hall in the middle of nowhere. I was a man on a mission as it was getting late and I wanted to get the banner up. Henry was aware of my aims and offered to help. We just walked back stage without being stopped or questioned by anyone, Mickey Bradley sat there reading his Sun paper without a care in the world. We walked up on to the stage and I asked one of the 3 blokes stranding there, "Its OK to put this up isn't it, I did telephone about it" -. "Nothing to do with us mate, we're the support band" --- "Oh, OK, when you going on?" --. "NOW!" ---. "Give us two minutes would you?" . And with that and the help of my accomplice we had the banner up in a new record time of 1 minute 28 secs, and in the blink of an eye we were gone.
We went back to the pub half a mile down the road for a supposed "quickie" , and got back to the gig literally just in time to hear the cheer go up and by this time the place was packed. There are some things that you just love to hear, those moments to saviour. For example when listening to the radio- "theres been an early goal at the Hawthorns, and its West Bromwich Albion 1--" and then theres-- "HELLO WE'RE thE UNDERTONES, AND thIS IS JIMMY JIMMY!" Now of course this should then be followed by joyous pogoing, but sadly that didn't happen. Locals stood looking around, some just tapping their feet, what the hell was going on?!!! It was as if nobody there had been to this sort of gig before and thought polite applause was the order of the day. I was the first from the coach party to get to the front and felt like screaming "COME ON, thIS IS thE F******G UNDERTONES!" But of course I was brought up better than that and I'm much to quiet and shy (really I am).
Fortunately after one of the longest minutes of my life the rest of the Derry mob arrived and normal service was resumed. It was as if this was all the locals needed to spur them into action and this was followed by "Family Entertainment" which has been my favourite for the last week or so. By now the place was rocking and it went back a long way as well as all along the sides. The sound wasn't great (this never bothers me as its just the bhom of the great songs and the atmosphere) but of course it should be better. Paul was having problems with his mike and at times he couldn't be heard at all.
After about 5 songs a few aches and pains predictably appeared in my frail 40 year old body, so I took a breather and stood back a bit. By this time the sound had improved and was perfect for these timeless classics, so I stood back and let the some of the youngsters like Henry and Wilke strut their stuff. Paul is excellent now, he lives the songs but without milking it to much (that simply isn't The Undertones way). "When Sat Comes" was the one that stood out for me, it sounded absolutely spot on. Then something was said which I didn't quite catch followed by "this is for Cliff & Lindsay" and "Teenage Kicks" followed. I've heard this song performed now by several bands and frankly (yes I know I'm biased) nobody gets even remotely close to The Undertones version. Why is that? Coz I mean whether its sung by Feargal or Paul, it really doesn't matter, its in a class of its own. Only the Undertones seem to capture the magic and mood every time, they bring it to life.
One of the best memories, and certainly the funniest, was "Julie Ocean" as the rather quiet and shyish Henry (by now with several pints inside him) raised his silk scarf above his head in BCR/Donny Osmond fashion and swayed from side to side!.
We were reaching the end of an exhilarating set, the place was rocking by now and once again virtually as many women as men. Towards the end was "Wed Week" which I always imagined must be difficult to sing, but Paul gets through it effortlessly, and then to finish the 'singalong'- "My Perfect Cousin" . I say singalong coz you have the impression that everybody knows all the words to this and its so easy to chant to. The obvious encore included "Mars Bars" and "No Fun" , and for encore number 2, thankfully "Jimmy Jimmy" was repeated as I felt it was lost first time round.
Billy threw his sticks into the crowd (thats when you KNOW its all over) and this time one of them really did come just a few feet from me, but my salmon days are behind me now so I left others to scramble for it. The place started to empty and a few photos were taken, I waited at the front to claim my banner. We waited outside for the coach and then Billy appeared so I asked if the band would sign the banner again (I'm trying to get it done at each gig I go to, so I can look back when I'm old and grey and remember). They were all quite happy to do so, as well as signing Henrys "SOLD OUT" sign which he'd, erm, borrowed from the door.
Another brilliant experience, thanks to Vinny and everybody on the coach for being so welcoming. For me personally there was something surreal about the whole thing. To catch the 2:25pM flight on Sun afternoon and be home just 22 hours later was weird. In that time I'd flown to Derry, caught the coach out to the middle of nowhere, seen the Undertones, gone to bed, and flown home again. Friends often tell me I'm nuts and I'm starting to believe them.
Just when I thought it was all over there was Damian at the airport looking the worse for wear with a heavy cold. He happily chatted all the way back to Stansted and all will be revealed in next Suns "News of The World" .
So another great Undertones day has come and gone, but another one to remember. When I was on the radio in Derry back in June, one of the questions the guy asked me was, " What was the reaction to the ' tones in England?" (he was in his 20's, so didn't really know much about them) . I thought this was a strange question, and gave the impression that he could understand why they would be popular at home, but surprised they might be in England. Because of this, I was really pleased with the turn out at the Mean Fiddler and even more so yesterday. I think a good turn out in England proves to the band how much they are appreciated, more so than Ireland, and in particular Derry, where they would expect it more.
My wife had really enjoyed Dublin and said she might come yesterday but decided against it, for no particular reason. On the way to Leigh-On-Sea station I blasted out "I gotta getta" and she said she wished she was going now, but it was to late, women eh? On the tube a famous politician sat next to me, grey haired lady about 60+, but I can't think of her name. (I thought she might ask for a t-shirt) I arrived at the Astoria and the guy on the door was one of those loveable rogueAMD256ney types, wearing a Santa suit, so I knew I'd get the banner up OK.
I wandered in and was surprised by the size of the standing room, could The Undertones fill this? Gulp! The stage manager told me not to worry (I am a terrible worrier you know) he would put the banner in a prime spot for me, so I left him to it. Some of the 'tones stage crew were there, good bunch of lads, they know me as the "guy who fell down the stairs and made them laugh" in Dublin, thanks chaps.
So it was into the "Tottenham" and soon some familiar and unfamiliar faces started to arrive. If I get any names wrong, sorry, I'm hopeless with names. Mark and Pete were first from the Midlands and mid Wales, old school mates. Dave Richings arrived with his old button badges and CMoS followed him. Another guy Paul from Norwich (hope he got that last tube to Epping?) and ' Pete the Lurker ' added a touch of class with his embroidered 'tones polo shirt (only £15 apparently, can't go wrong at that price) Then we were joined by the Paul (vtu) .
Paul does a brilliant impression of Michael Caine that MC himself would be proud of, he chatted with us and had 2 lemonades and an orange juice, but don't worry, he didn't mix them. Paul disappeared so we figured it was sound check time (pretty sharp we are) . By this time CR and Kate had arrived and there were about 8 of us. That was too many to try to get in to see it, so 4 of us went to try our luck. Luckilly my new mate in the santa outfit seemed to enjoy making jokes about my name (you know, "are you a hanger?" and that sort of stuff) so he was happy to let us through, but not the others in the pub, sorry chaps.
On our return the Pub was heaving, I just kept seeing the black t-shirt with 2 red arrows and asking the wearer who they were. Hugh was there, originally from Derry but now the Midlands and a couple of lads from Yorkshire. Talking of Yorkshire, Lindsay had arrived with Husband Alastair. At first, I wondered what Posh Spice was doing wearing an Undertones t-shirt in the middle of London. Lindsay had cut out the red arrows from my XL shirt and sewn them on to a more petite size, lets say a size 8 ?
Derek and George had arrived, both were wearing a shirt and tie as they'd been working and Derek had an amazing collection of Undertones newspaper cuttings, one of those collections you could sit and read for hours. It was now 7ish and Paul (vtu) had come back, he even had one of my t-shirts and another lemonade to celebrate his shrewd purchase. A guy came to me and asked,"anybody want a spare ticket?" I couldn't resist pointing to Paul and saying, "I think he might be after one" (sorry Paul, will I ever grow up?!)
Rumours had started that it was a sell out, so we decided it was time to go. It was about 3/4 full with the support band on, so expectation was rising that this was gonne be good. I was approached several times by people wanting t-shirts and asking if I was Cliff, they must have read that I look like Michael Douglas and so put 2+2 together. A great mixture down the front, mainly 30+, but a fair amount of women also and some real crackers too, so I was told. Two of my favourites were played "Babylons burning" and "Ever fallen in love" as we prepared ourselves for the off. The Undertones appeared and with the usual no frills intro ("Hello, we're The Undertones" - well what else is there to say?) we were straight into "Jimmy Jimmy".
I imagine that a fair percentage of people at the front have either not seen the 'tones before, or not seen them since the eighties. Because of this, there is a wonderful moment, it lasts about 5 seconds, where these people are thinking " I hope everyone starts pogoing, but I don't think they will, not at our age, surely!" and then as the noise starts it all goes crazy and these guys must be thinking, " bl00dy hell, we really are--. GREAT !!" The rush of those first few moments is indescribable, those of you that don't like football, it's not about 22 men kicking a ball around, its about emotion and passion and this is the same. Celebrating a late winning goal with your mates, its the same feeling but this lasts longer. Jon Salmon, a quiet sort of guy from Oxfordshire, has removed his glasses and Clark Kent has become Superman in a matter of seconds. How many of us will be back amongst sensible business colleagues over the next few days who would never dream of, or picture us, doing what we did last night?.
I'm not gonna go through the set, theres no need, just picture the whole scene, smiling faces all around and the band, again, appearing to enjoy every moment. I don't know why, for some strange reason I decided to go back to my heavier shoes rather than trainers and I had thick socks on, stupid, stupid, stupid! More than 2 songs at a time before taking a break was impossible, so thank god for the excellent "Soul Seven" and of course "Julie Ocean", Pauls favourite, by the way. "Tearproof" sounded sublime and "My Perfect Cousin" got the football treatment again, maybe this has earned it's place to be repeated as an encore? It seems to me that these Undertones gigs only last about 15 minutes, because before you know it the sets over. Billy throws his sticks into the crowd, on come the lights and thats it.
Of course its approx 1hour 15 minutes but it dosent seem like it, " time flies " as the saying goes. Unfortunately its impossible to meet up again afterwards to discuss the gig, so many people rushing to get the last train, coach, etc. I went to the front to claim my banner, maybe a bit on the small side as has been mentioned, but still good enough, I think it makes the point. So 10 gigs in 2000 and I was lucky enough to see 8 of them. This time last year I had no idea of what was around the corner and would never have dreamed it could happen. I'm gonna hang the banner in my cold dark garage through the winter, hopefully it will see the light of day again, but if not, what a crack eh?!!
The Fleadh highlights were on at I am and even though I already have them on video I wanted to see it again - but a 5am start made that impossible. No sign of Colin (AKA CMoS) at the airport - so I made for the plane and there he was waving at me from the back. He told me he'd booked just a few days before for just £ 9 ! with tax and C/C charge the total was still only £33 - less than half of what I'd paid and I thought I'd done well !
It was an interesting journey as Colin knows nothing about Football and I know nothing about his passion for computers.He was telling me about MP3's - downloading - and using expressions that were a foreign language to me - while I was telling him the benefits of the wing back formation ! Derry airport was his first photograph - you've all got that to look forward to.
We arrived at the B/B and I renewed my aquaintance with the landlady from heaven - Margaret. She was quick to tell me she wasn't the landlady but " just the cleaner ". She said she thought it was great that we were there for the concert and I told her about the website and that she should leave a message - we'll wait and see.
We walked into Derry centre and the first call was to the " Vibe" to pick up a ticket for Colin as he'd travelled without one (top man) - fortunately we had asked them to put one aside for him - as when we got there they'd sold out. There was a poster on the wall advertising the gig - so I asked the barman if I could take it - with an ammused look on his face he said yes - as they had no need for them anymore. I walked around and took 5 or 6. (well - why not ?!).
I also dropped off some of my football shirts which hopefully will help sell raffle tickets for the Football Club. A few days earlier - Colin had asked me if we were doing a " tour " of Undertones sites. I asked for an example and he said the wall on the cover of the first album !! I thought he was kidding - but what the hell - we had so much time on our hands. The helpful Barman gave us directions - by this time he had worked out we were on a sort of pilgrimage and he was only too glad to help being a fan himself.
So off we headed and found the " Wall of legends " - it surrounds a playground and football pitch - and looks exactly the same now as it did 22 years ago. I'd taken the CD cover with me and we hit upon the idea of yours truly being photographed 5 times in the same poses as the band - and Colin is gonna somehow paste it together . (The position Billy sat in was fine when you're a teenager - but not so easy at 39 !)
There was a woman with her kid in the playground and I could feel myself blushing at the thought of what we were doing - what WOULD the wife think ??!! Another guy about our age (no - not 15) walked across and gave a kind of knowing smirk - I think he knew what we were up too - I had this vision of crowds gathering to watch the funny foreigners ! A few yards further down was an excellent " thE UNDERTONES " painted on the wall - complete with the " thE " going upwards and an arrow head at the other end - ala " got my number " cover. Did you get an 'A' level in art - Vinny ?
- END OF PART ONE (DINNERS READY !) -
We were expecting to hear from Arthur - George and [Terry Hooley] but by late afternoon we'd heard nothing and headed for the bar next door to The " Vibe " (it's part of a complex called Townsman) Our friend the Barman mentioned that the band would be doing a sound check and asked me about the t-shirts Colin and myself were wearing.Unfortunately he didn't have a tenner on him - but he'd been so helpful I weakened and gave him a shirt from my bag. (Don't go getting any idea's you lot !).
Around 5:30 we shamelessly sneaked in to see what was going on - the " Vibe " is actually a night club and reminded me of the " Mean Fiddler " - We couldn't see how they could possibly fit 1 - 200 people inside.I recognised a guy that passed me as a " Moondog " and in my ignorance asked him if he was Gerry McCandless but he was actually Jackie Hamilton - D'oh !! (Sorry Moondogs fans).
Eventually all The Moondogs had arrived and played a couple of songs - they sounded excellent so I was looking forward to later. All the members of The Undertones had a chat with us - which we appreciated and signed my " Derry F.C. benefit concert " t-shirt along with all the posters. (I think there might be t-shirts left over if anybody is interested - I imagine you get them from Derry City F.C.).
Colin wanted to know all the words to " WSC " so asked Paul who thought he was gonna get away with just the first line ! Paul ran through the first and second line only for Colin to say " Carry on ! " poor old Paul looked slightly embarrassed but reeled off the next few lines-but this was still not enough for our Colin !! " don't stop " so on he went rushing his way through all the lyrics - I was tempted to start going - "BAH BAH - BAH BAH " towards the end to help him out !
The band then played three songs - " No Fun " " Julie Ocean " and another that I'd never heard before - great stuff. While testing the microphones they said " Big John " from Johnny Cash's famous song - quite poignant for me as this was some of the first music I ever heard - courtesy of Dads record collection - in the late 60's. Time had flown - still no sign of the others - and it was time to meet Luke and his neckerchiefed Moondogs gang . WHERE WERE YOU LUKE ?? were you there ?
The " River Inn " was a very smart Wine Bar opposite the Venue but what made it very different to any wine bar I'd ever been in was that they played constant Undertones music - ahh - if only all wine bars could be this way. Eventually the others turned up with horror stories about Arthurs car - among them was [Terry Hooley].
Terry was pretty much as I'd expected - lots of interesting stories to tell - unfortunately with the atmosphere - noise - and his accent - I understood only some of what he was saying. He's a character - and I like characters - although I wouldn't want to flat share with him. Gerry McCandless turned up to speak to him so off he went.
- END OF PART 2 (wife say's I'm becoming a stranger !) -
The time had come to enter the arena - which was about half full for Bam Bam and the calling. I've seen loads of local bands like this through the years - good intentions but there was nothing there to really get my teeth into - I couldn't remember a single tune two minutes after they'd finished. CMoS - George - Arthur - what did you think ? (Personally I thought astounding - CMoS)
The dance floor was filling but still not full for The Moondogs - when they started there were 20 or so people dancing. My previous comments regarding them were that I liked the tunes - but the sound on the recordings wasn't up to much. However - live - they are a different proposition altogether - as some of you had told me they would be. The songs came to life by the sheer power and energy the band produced - I recognised all the songs - " You said you loved me " - " talking in the canteen " - " who's gonna tell Mary " - and was looking forward to at an hour of this kind to the ear music (blimey - where did that come from !) - but to my disappointment - they were only on for about half an hour.
What was that about ? was that always going to be the case ? As far as I'm aware this was their first gig for many years so why not just play the same set all over again ? I'm sure Moondogs fans wouldn't have minded. Is there any chance of supporting The Undertones at the December gigs ? I would love to see them again and it's obvious from this website they would get a great reception. Anyway - that was that - but not to worry as the best was still to come.
The dance floor was full to bursting by now and once again - as the fleadh - " pump it up " boomed over the system followed by " hanging on the telephone ". I love this moment - I wish I could capture it in a jar and let it out when I need a lift - its electric. Like Albion v Wolves as you wait for the teams to come out and then that rush of adrenaline when they appear. Chants of " City " started up (remember this was for the Football Club) and on came the band all wearing Derry City shirts - Mickey wore the away top which was the same as Argentina's although Paul decided on the Bristol City 70 's shirt (plain red).
" Jimmy Jimmy " was the starter for ten - and the place erupted - almost shaking. This is what makes it all worth the travelling - this is what it's all about - everything that happens throughout the day is simply passing the time to get to this moment. These brilliant - exhilarating songs - with their catchy Baited by Angler lines and chants are uplifting beyond belief when played loud in a venue like this.The sound wasn't t perfect at first - a bit basey - but I've never been that fussy about such things - it's all part of the charm of a live gig - you just want to be in there amongst it all. I couldn't even tell you what came next - another great song - followed by another.
The heat was almost unbearable - sweat was dripping from everybody - my t-shirt was soaked after about 3 songs (sorry if you're eating !) - I'd learned from the summer and wore trainers - much more spring in them and not so hard on the feet ! Arthur was feeling the pace and decided to go upstairs - I was determined to stay put for as long as possible. Once again - as in my previous visit - I noticed there were plenty of girls around - it'll be interesting to see if it's the same in London.
I didn't manage to outlast Arthur by very long - the heat had beaten me but it would be interesting to see things from a distance for a change. The sound seemed much better from the balcony - the dance floor looked incredible from above - so many people dancing.This was repeated further back by people who couldn't even see the band - a concept I can't quite grasp - but each to their own. " When Sat Comes " - " I gotta getta " - " Here comes the Summer " have stayed in my mind for some reason - and then all too soon we were nearing the end.
Before playing the second set of encores Mickey announced - " These were voted your favourite two songs on The Undertones.com " (it's The Undertones. NET - Mickey - you'll be hearing from Colins solicitors). So we finished with " You've got my Number " and " Teenage Kicks " and the sight from the balcony will stay with me forever - the energy from the dance floor was more than I'd ever seen before - they were dancing all the way to the back - like a sea of people constantly moving - it made the hairs stand up and brought a tear to my eye.
[Terry Hooley] came up on stage and said something along the lines of " I've seen many great bands in my time but this is the best live band in the world - The Undertones ! ". Somebody needed to say this and Terry will always be at the top of my drinks list for taking the bull by the horns and doing it - WELL DONE [Terry Hooley] !
It was nice to finally meet Vinny Cunningham earlier in the day - he's about 7 ft tall - and we met his wife afterwards along with the Chairman of Derry City F.C. who thanked me for the football shirts - nice touch. The fresh air as we stepped outside was very welcoming - it was about 2:00 am and this had been a 21 hour day - we were knackered.
These gigs won't go on forever - we all know that - and I don't think The Undertones will write any new stuff - I'm not even sure I'd want them to - but we must enjoy these events while we can.Lets all look forward to Christmas - I think " a tide of emotion " has been slowly swelling as more and more people become aware of the reformation - and the atmosphere for the gig in London can be every bit as good as The " Vibe ".
WARNING! Anybody with the philosophy - "You should know better at your age" - please exit now-you may find the following deeply disturbing.
On Thu June 8th(4 days before my 39th birthday) I passed a local shop advertising 'Any design on a t-shirt - £9.95' I took the Subutteo player from the 'Perfect Cousin' sleeve - enlarged it - and' Hey Presto' - a shirt for Fri was born!
I chose my outfit carefully for the weekend - comfy shoes - lightweight trousers - but I forgot the string for my glasses-I would pay for that later. The Mean Fiddler was easy enough to find - I was there at 3pm so I could put up the banner before the band arrived. There was Nowhere to put it behind them so I settled for the banisters on the side - couldn't miss it there. As I left I saw a poster for the gig on a table - nobody will miss that I thought.
I drove to my B+B and the Irish landlady told me she also liked the Wolftones ?!! Back at Harlesden I had an hour to kill so forced myself into a pub - in the corner was a T.V. showing T.F.I.Fri and I couldn't believe it when I saw the singer of Elastica wearing a 'Tones shirt (not one of mine though!). I met up with Paul - AKA CityRocker - and his mate from Bristol. Paul told me he'd recently played a gig at the Fiddler himself with his band 'Sofa' apparently they have a following of a few hundred in Bristol - similar to City and Rovers. We went into the venue early to meet up with our fellow internetters - and before long they started to arrive - perfectly fitting the descriptions they had given of themselves. Unfortunately as is often the case these days (there you are - I finally said it!) the D.J. seemed to think we needed the music as loud as possible - 2 hours before the gig - so it was difficult to talk without pulling a muscle. Billy was doing the rounds and we had a brief chat - another 'Tone I've now met and a genuine nice bloke also.
We took up our positions at the front when the time was right - packed in like sardines - a bhom of anticipation - the first time in England since that sad day at Selhurst Park half a lifetime ago. I was pleased to see the place was packed. A few shouts started - "Come on" a chant of "Un-der-tones" and our heroes appeared in their loveable modest way. "We're the Undertones" they announce - and we're off! "You've got my number" is the opener and the pogoing/dancing starts with everybody smiling almost in disbelief at ourselves-should we all be doing this at our age?!. All the aches and pains of the previous week return (too quickly for my liking) - my toes are being used as pin cushions by those around me - including two girls not much older than 20. 'Family Entertainment' comes next and disaster strikes! Someone behind knocked my glasses off and they're gone forever - oh well I've got a spare pair at home - worry about it later. Paul asks - "where's Cliff ?" and I acknowledge - "thanks for the banner!" He says. One of the girls looks at me - "nice one" she says. (see the pulling power a 'Tones banner gives you ?!!).
The hectic pace continues - now one of my shins is aching. Shouting along to the songs takes your breath away but it's impossible to resist - by now - frankly - I'm knackered! The power and energy from the band is intense the whole place is vibrating. A couple of new songs 'chocolate and girls' and 'You're welcome' are introduced as we near the end - I console myself with the thought that if they're practising new songs could that mean there's more after Dublin ?. A tinge of sadness as it's all over - we still had the Fleadh but this was the one I'd looked forward to more. After the gig I gave Damian the banner and I've no doubt he has it on his lounge wall at this moment !
I arrived at The Fleadh at 12.30 - only 7 hours to go! Picture House were first up - in one ear and out the other - but the sound quality was excellent which gave me high hopes for later. I met a group of lads from Woking who reminded me of their 4-2 defeat of West Brom a few years back - however they all bought a t-shirt so I forgave them. The CityRocker soon arrived followed by CMoS and Dave Richings. Two other guys we met one from Sunderland and Derek from Liverpool who went to 30 out of 31 gigs on the Hypnotised tour!
The hours passed - the sun shone - the beer flowed with music in the distance .News came back to us that at the front were families with br()ets and picnic hampers laid out-Oh dear! Prefab Sprout were politely applauded (not by us) and it was time to make our move. Slowly the area started to fill with 30+ year old blokes - punk was blasting out of the speakers - surely those around us would realise this wasn't the place to be for the next hour? Maybe they thought the 'Tones would be politely applauded like PS. The usual chants started up - that same old bhom - a flutter in the stomach and here they are - "Here Comes The Summer" - very apt. Chaos reigned for the next few seconds - looks of shock - astonishment - amusement - FEAR !!. 100 or so middle aged men (and women) pogoing/dancing actually enjoying the music ! A girl behind me on her boyfriends shoulders with her tits out - was it really thAT hot ?!! Here come those aches and pains again - this time it's both shins - agony! The sound was fantastic - spot on - better than the Fiddler. Some of the girls around me who had looked disgusted at first decided to join in and pogo - I'll bet they never did that to Boyzone! Because of my exhaustion I decided to stand back and enjoy the sight.
I arrived home to an empty house as my wife was away. I felt depressed - sad - lonely - the way I feel after a great holiday. I'll probably go to Dublin - but can that really be the end ? If so I'll enjoy it for what it was - my greatest band playing again was a dream come true - what's next ? Albion for the cup ?!!
The only flight available from Stanstead (1 hour from me)to Derry, was at 7:30 am which meant getting up at 4:30. Boarding the plane a guy saw my 'tones shirt and told me his surname was Sharkey and he was his cousin and he'd also had guitar lessons from John O'Neill 7 or 8 years ago. He loved the band but strangely had no idea they were playing that night! I arrived at the B+B and upon seeing my shirt the landlady told me she also loved them and had seen them in November, however once again had no idea they were playing !!
I went into town to collect my ticket from a record shop, 'Cool Discs'. There were adverts on the window but no mention of the gig or even the fact that they sold the tickets! Was I in the twilight zone? The band that we love were playing in their home City and nobody seemed to know about it! In the centre of town was a big column full of posters advertising gigs, from a distance I could see ' UK SUBS' and some other guy plastered all over it, then 'hallelujah' almost apologetically in the bottom corner were some small posters, half the size of the others, 'The Undertones-Nerve Centre'.
I wandered into a football souvenir shop and the guy told me he was a good friend of Michael Bradley. He insisted on showing me round the corner to the Nerve Centre and told the guy there that I'd come over from England, he in turn took me up to the stage and there was John O'Neill. The man who has written songs to gladden my heart, to cheer me up when things aren't great or pump me up when I need it. Songs that still give me goose pimples 20 years on, and who wrote 13 of the songs on an album recently voted in the top 100 of all time-that's some accolade. John was just a very nice normal bloke who gave me 20 minutes or so of his time, it was no problem for him. We went down to reception and there was a phone call for me! it was the local BBC radio station asking if I'd like to do a short interview about why I was there etc. It only lasted for 10 minutes maximum, and I was asked why I'd gone all that way and what made the band special to me, etc etc. Once again I was left with the impression that The Undertones really weren't properly appreciated in there own back yard. Michael Bradley works at the station and we had a brief chat, but he was a busy man.
I met up with Arthur Magee from the web site an hour before the doors opened . We went for a beer next door to the venue which I thought would be busy with fellow fans eagerly awaiting the gig, but it was almost empty. I was starting to despair at the apathy towards the band. Finally we went into the Nerve Centre and up to the bar where there were a few groups of people. Slowly but surely the place started to get busy, busy with middle aged sensible looking people (many couples) no bandanas, no leather, no dyed hair.
I was starting to see things in a completely different light. The Undertones didn't need to advertise here! they didn't need big posters all over the place, those who wanted to see them would just KNOW they were on. I imagined these people had just been at home watching the television as they would any other day and then at about 10 o'clock would calmly say, "Come on then, we'd better pop down the road and see The Undertones"!! They are just a local band that everybody is quietly proud of, theres no need to make a fuss.
None of this mattered any more as kick-off time was upon us, remember that feeling of anticipation you have as you know they're about to come on, Wonderful! They amble on stage and here we go, I'm 18 all over again. That incredible impact of the first few notes, 'You've got my number' is the opener, as clear and fresh as always. Paul McLoone immediately appears much more confident than in November , he has no inhibitions.
I'm hanging back enjoying the sight, the nostalgia, the memories all come flooding back. About 50 or so are going for it down the front, but not me, I'm nearly 40 for goodness sake! I managed to resist the first 2 or 3 but sod it, I'm down there after that! thE UNDERTONES ARE BACK ! gem after gem, crisp and clear, don't worry about Feargal it's irrelevant now. You've all seen it, you all know the experience and don't need me to tell you-don't worry nothings changed. It seemed like they'd only been on 10 minutes when Michael announced there was only one more to go. When they came back for the encore Damian said in typical 'tones fashion, "thank you, we are not worthy" - but you are, will you never realise how good you are? The encore included the 'Them' song which I'd never heard before, it was excellent and very 'Undertones'. A 2nd encore and that was that-about 1hr 30 mins of bliss.
One thing that WAS different was me! I still play veterans league football and thought I was relatively fit-WRONG! After every two numbers I had to take a break.
I found myself picking and choosing the songs even though I loved them all. Twenty years ago I didn't wear glasses and they present another problem, pushing them back into place every few seconds is a pain in the ass and then they get steamed up every few minutes. Some more words of advice for next week, don't wear Jeans! they get heavy and sticky, and wear comfortable shoes! my feet were killing me at the end. So next week if you see a bloke with string on his glasses, wearing shorts and sandals, that sad bastard will be me!
One final point-The people in Derry could not possibly have been more helpful and friendly. People say hello when they pass you in the street and the landlady was a gem, she spoke to me as if she was me mum! It all reminded me of Basildon, 30 years ago.
