The Undertones - Teenage Kicks DVD

The first few minutes of Teenage Kicks is as much an account of the unbridled influence of John Peel on the British music industry as the story of The Undertones themselves. The mythological tale, destined to be quoted in pop music almanacs for forever, of how Peel discovered the band dominates the early parts of the feature. It's no surprise, then, that Peel presents this 70-minute documentary, successfully using his influence to involve all the original members, even though continued bitterness between former singer Fergal Sharkey and the other four is evident throughout.... While John O'Neill, Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley and Billy Doherty opt to be interviewed in their home city of Derry, Sharkey chooses the more neutral territory of Peel Acres. Although many fans share Peel's enthusiasm for their most famous song, "Teenage Kicks", the documentary touches on the band's bemusement at their posthumous elevation to rock legend status. Their lack of pretentiousness still shines through, as they recount stories of how they returned to their parents' houses after performances on Top of the Pops, and how they still hold day jobs despite top ranking at international pop festivals. Part of their enduring down-to-earth appeal also reflected here is that The Undertones emerged from Northern Ireland during the height of the troubles. Overall though, the feature provides only a sketchy account of the band's development and continued existence, preferring the band members' own narrative of key events. On the DVD: Teenage Kicks on disc includes 45 minutes of additional interviews, along with exclusive live footage. Like a lot of the material included in the main feature, the extra interview footage is only likely to appeal to die-hard fans. Seven promos (restored and mixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound) are also featured, including the recently discovered video for "There Goes Norman". The early videos are basic, and appear to re-create their stage routine from early gigs at Derry's Casbah ("Teenage Kicks" and "Wednesday Week"). Their final video together, "Got To Have You Back" is, bizarrely, set in psychiatric ward and provides a hint of the sound of Sharkey's later solo material (for example, "You Little Thief"). --John Galilee [show more]

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