Mayor to celebrate 45-year anniversary of Teenage Kicks
24 November 2023
The Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Patricia Logue, met up with iconic Derry band the Undertones this week, as they returned to their home town for a celebration of 45 years of their debut release Teenage Kicks.
The Mayor caught up with three of the band members at the newly unveiled mural on the City’s historic Walls ahead of their sell out show tonight at the Millennium Forum in Derry, and tomorrow night in Belfast, and took the opportunity to invite them back for a special Civic Reception in their honour the Guildhall.
Mayor Logue said: “I was delighted to catch up with Billy Doherty, Damian O’Neill and Mickey Bradley ahead of their gig in the city, to view the new mural which has already become a local landmark. Karl Porter has perfectly captured that classic image of the band and the debut album from 1979 that made them punk legends.
“I wanted to do something special to mark the 45-year anniversary of Teenage Kicks, which really has become the unofficial anthem of the city. I will host a special event in the Guildhall in the New Year before the guys head off on tour – so watch this space!”
Artist Karl Porter was inspired by the iconic image captured by veteran Derry Journal photographer Larry Doherty of The Undertones in Bull Park, and the photos this week were captured by his son, Lorcan Doherty. The mural adorns the gable wall of McCartney and Casey solicitors, and like the Derry Girls mural, has already become a hotspot for visitors to the city.
Details of the Mayor’s civic reception for the Undertones will be announced in the New Year.