TEENAGE KICKS: My Life as an Undertone
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Michael Bradley joined his school friend's group in Derry, Northern Ireland in the summer of 1974. They had two guitars and no singer. Four years later the Undertones recorded Teenage Kicks, John Peel's favourite record, and became one of the most fondly remembered bands of the post punk era. Sticking to their punk rock principles, they signed terrible deals, made great records and had a wonderful time. They broke up in 1983 when they realised there was no pot of gold at the end of the rock and roll rainbow.
Michael's story is a bitter-sweet, heart-warming and occasionally droll tale of unlikely success, petty feuding and playful mischief during five years of growing up in the music industry. Wiser but not much richer, Michael became a bicycle courier in Soho after the Undertones split. "Sixty miles a day, fresh air, no responsibilities," he writes. "Sometimes I think it was the best job I ever had. It wasn't, of course."
Reviews
"Breezy and detailed with an anecdotal frankness and self-deprecating humour." - Q Magazine
"Reads like a memoir of youth we all wish we had." - Irish Times
Author: Michael Bradley with foreword by Roddy Doyle
Publisher: Omnibus Remastered
Release date: 2 October 2025
Format: Paperback, 256 pages
Language: English