The Undertones

I went to see one of my favourite bands with my mates. We were right down the front pogoing and chicken dancing in puddles of beer! I knew all the words! ... and the lead singer looked straight at me. No really, he did!

Before their Glastonbury triumph over the massive thunderstorm this summer, I hadn't seen The Undertones since I was sixteen years old, at the Top Rank Club (now long gone) in Cardiff. It was therefore with much excitement that my friends and I approached the old Coal Exchange building, once the hub of dockside industry and now a splendid arts and entertainment centre within the rejuvenated Cardiff Bay.

As we entered the dark hall, which was suitably brooding with oak panels and shady corners, we were struck by the average age of the audience. The same faces, the same sense of anticipation and, in some notable cases, the same jackets and hairstyles. We'd just shifted a quarter of a century into the future.

We were soon to be transported back, however, as the familiar opening of 'Family Entertainment' wailed out across the hall, only to stop short as Damien O'Neill announced that his guitar was out of tune. But we didn't have to wait long before they got underway again, beneath the huge Coal Exchange clock that appropriately bore the legend 'Tempus Fugit'.

Could these middle-aged men in not-so-tight jeans still bring us songs about 'Chocolate and Girls' with any credibility? The answer was a resounding Yes! With all the gusto of a recently signed band returning to their fans in triumph, The Undertones treated us to a night of what John Peel termed "abrasive teenage melodies", without any sense of being a novelty blast from the past.

At full volume, and with the added edge of live performance, the guitars were sizzling with energy throughout the set. It's easy to forget how brilliantly crafted many of their songs were, despite their simplicity. You couldn't help but dance. And we did - after all, none of us are 40 are we?

The O'Neill brothers (John now bleached, Damien still with those cheeky dimples) kept their heads down and banged out the music we wanted to hear. Michael Bradley on bass shared the chat with exuberant and charismatic frontman Paul McLoone, and they were joined on drums by Davey Whiteside, who stood in for Billy Doherty - unable to make the tour because of other commitments.

Fans of the band's first album, The Undertones, were not to be disappointed, with the majority of the familiar songs coming from this collection, along with the singles - Teenage Kicks, quite early on in the set, Jimmy Jimmy, Here Comes the Summer, and personal favourites You Got My Number, and a blinding rendition of Get Over You during which I nearly landed on my arse. From Hypnotised we had My Perfect Cousin (complete with 'cyabbage' and 'subbooteo') and Wednesday Week, among others. The Positive Touch, a departure in many ways from the previous two albums (I'm not going to say 'that difficult third ... No, I'm not!) wasn't left out either and Julie Ocean gave us time to recharge our batteries before the next onslaught.

These and some new O'Neill and Bradley penned songs (including the single, Thrill Me) were belted out in true style by Paul McLoone, playing every inch the posturing rock star who, complete with sweaty head flicks, seemed to be most at home with the more energetic numbers. There wasn't even the merest hint of the ghost of anyone in the room.

Before we knew it, they were off. The Coal Exchange pulsed to our demands until they re-emerged to give us another five or six songs, including a 'cover' from the O'Neills' wonderful That Petrol Emotion days, and ending with Mars Bars - which just about finished us off at the front of the stage.

We gathered our coats, bags and pints from the front of the stage where we'd left them quite happily and, of course, tried to blag our way back stage. No need. During intense negotiations with the security man I spotted Michael Bradley emerging into the hall. Eventually the whole band came out and I'm not ashamed to admit that for the first time ever in my life, I asked for autographs! They'd really enjoyed the gig too and were very taken with the venue, as were we. Bradley and McLoone were furnished with the eFestivals website address and all that remained was to buy a (skinny!) t-shirt and find a taxi, with so many tunes still ringing in our ears. I felt 16 again.

FUTURE GIGS