The Undertones 50 Anniversary Show + special guests The Beat ft Ranking Jnr 2026 Sees The Undertones come roaring back with an extensive UK tour to celebrate their 50TH BAND ANNIVERSARY.
The Undertones emerged from Derry, Northern Ireland 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. Practicing in their bedrooms eventually led to the band recording ‘Teenage Kicks’ in 1978 on Terri Hooley’s Good Vibrations label in Belfast. A copy was sent to the legendary DJ John Peel and he liked the track so much he played it twice in a row on his radio show!
Live The Undertones present a glorious set of classic tracks taken from what are considered by many fans and critics to be some of the best punk albums of all time, adding to them a whole bucketful of their iconic guitar pop hits & anthems, Get Over You, Jimmy Jimmy, My Perfect Cousin, You’ve Got My Number, Julie Ocean, Wednesday Week, and, of course, Teenage Kicks.
The Beat ft Ranking Jnr
One of the key bands of the UK ska revival of the late '70s and early '80s,The Beat achieved a near-perfect balance of pop melodies and taut rhythms that made them stars in Britain and won them a substantial cult following in the United States.
The Beat were based in Birmingham, England and released their debut single, "Tears of a Clown" b/w "Ranking Full Stop," through the Specials' 2-Tone label in 1979. The single went Top Ten in the U.K., and they soon struck a deal with Arista to distribute their own Go Feet label. 1980's I Just Can't Stop It (released by Sire in the United States) went gold in England on the strength of the single "Mirror in the Bathroom," and the band's ferocious performances and clever blend of personal and political lyrics made them stars at home.
Ranking Jnr, son of the late Ranking Roger, is carrying on his father's legacy.
