Legendary punk band – THE UNDERTONES – have announced a string of new UK shows across the UK this Summer and Autumn.

Bringing with them a cavalcade of classic support acts, the band will be joined at various dates by Ruts DC, The Rezillos, and Pete Wylie & The Mighty Wah!. Details below.

46 years on from their groundbreaking single “Teenage Kicks”, the Northern Irish renegades will be reminding us of their genius on stages across the country. Tickets are on sale now here.

The Undertones emerged from Derry, NI in 1976, the result of five friends learning how to play basic rock and roll. Even by the standards of that decade, Derry was not the rock and roll capital of anywhere and with no live bands worth watching, they learned their trade by listening to mail order records, reading one of the few copies of NME that made it to Derry but most of all from listening to John Peel’s show on BBC Radio One.

Practising in their bedrooms eventually led to the release of “Teenage Kicks” in 1978 on Terri Hooley’s Good Vibrations label in Belfast. A copy was sent to legendary DJ John Peel who liked the track so much he played it twice in a row on his radio show, and the rest is history.

Fast forward to 2024 and The Undertones are ready to present a glorious set of tracks taken from some of the best punk albums of all time. The show will see the band play through a range of hits and anthems including “Get Over You”, “Jimmy Jimmy”, “My Perfect Cousin”, “You’ve Got My Number”, “Julie Ocean”, “Wednesday Week” and, of course, “Teenage Kicks”.

Support for these shows will see The Undertones joined by The Ruts DC, The Rezillos and Pete Wylie & The Mighty Wah!, all legendary bands in their own right.

The Ruts DC were formed in 1981 by the rhythm section and guitarist of The Ruts. The Ruts had had three whirlwind years of success and much critical acclaim – excellent releases included the singles “Babylons Burning” ,”Jah War”,” Something That I Said” and “Staring At The Rude Boys” and the albums “The Crack”, “Grin And Bear It” and “Animal Now’.

The Rezillos burst forth upon the rock scene in 1976, having gathered together at Edinburgh College of Art. Through a shared love of Sixties Garage Rock and the Spectoresque Girl Group glam of The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las, The Rezillos found themselves inadvertently caught up in the Punk or New Wave movement. Their debut single, “I Can’t Stand My Baby“, shot them to underground fame initially via airings on John Peel’s radio show. Their classic singles “My Baby Does Good Sculptures“, “Top of the Pops” and “Destination Venus” signalled critically acclaimed milestones for the band.Their landmark album of 1978 “Can’t Stand the Rezillos” reached the top 10 in the UK album chart.

Pete Wylie, the acclaimed songwriter and Liverpudlian legend, has been making music under his own name and the many WAH! monikers since 1979. In 1979, Wylie adopted the WAH! name going through many incarnations including Wah!, The Mighty Wah!, Wah! Heat and Shambeko! Say Wah. Over the years he has had a string of classic singles, including ‘The Story Of The Blues’, ‘Come Back’, ‘Sinful, ‘Seven Minutes to Midnight’ and later, the LFC anthem ‘Heart As Big As Liverpool’.

Catch the tour dates as follows

THE UNDERTONES – UK TOUR DATES
29 Aug – Holmfirth Picturedrome
Aug 31 – Northampton Roadmender
Oct 10 – Liverpool Hangar 34 *
Oct 11 – Sunderland Fire Station *
Oct 12 – Sheffield Leadmill *
Oct 17 – Lincoln Engine Shed **
Oct 18 – Norwich Epic **
Oct 19 – Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill **
Oct 24 – Frome Cheese & Grain +
Oct 25 – Camden Electric Ballroom +
Oct 26 – Southampton 1865 +

* plus special guests Ruts DC
** plus special guests The Rezillos
+ plus special guests Pete Wylie & The Mighty Wah