Punk Legends at Cyprus Avenue

I shared a couple of photos of The Undertones last year but since they’re coming back to Cork next year and tickets just became available I decided to go look through the shots from that night again. They are fantastic, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again when they visit Cork.

The atmosphere in Cyprus Avenue is electric, and the lighting is so atmospheric and dazzling. Great venue for a gig.

The Undertones formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1974 and became one of the most important bands to emerge from the late 1970s punk movement. Their debut single “Teenage Kicks” (1978) was famously championed by legendary BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, who called it his favourite song of all time and requested it be played at his funeral (it was). What makes The Undertones particularly notable is that they emerged from Derry during the height of the Troubles, yet their music deliberately avoided political themes, instead focusing on universal teenage experiences like romance, frustration, and growing up. This made them hugely influential in showing that Northern Irish bands didn’t have to be defined by the conflict. The band’s current lineup still features four of the five original members, though original lead singer Feargal Sharkey left in 1983. They reformed in 1999 with new vocalist Paul McLoone and have been touring consistently since, proving that great punk rock ages remarkably well!

Apertureƒ/1.8CameraILCE-7RM5Focal length75mmISO4000Shutter speed1/160s

#concertPhotography #Cork #CorkMusicVenue #CyprusAvenue #December2024 #Ireland #IrishMusic #IrishPunk #liveMusicCork #livePerformance #musicPhotography #NorthernIrishBand #Photography #punkLegends #punkRock #rockConcert #stageLighting #TheUndertones

47 years ago
Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, John Doe and DJ Bonebrake from X at the Masque, Central Hollywood, October 1978.

Photo Frank Gagarni

#punk #punks #punkrock #x #xtheband #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory

Those were the days 🔥
The Canterbury Apartments, a legendary Hollywood apartment complex that was a hub for early punk rockers in the late 1970s, including members of the Go-Go's, The Germs and The Bags.

#punk #punks #punkrock #womenofpunk #oldschoolpunk #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory

45 years ago -  The Damned, October 1980

Left to right: drummer Rat Scabies, singer Dave Vanian, guitarist Captain Sensible and bassist Paul Gray.

Photo by Michael Putland

#punk #punks #punkrock #oldschoolpunk #punklegends #thedamned #history #punkrockhistory

38 years ago
HR from Bad Brains with his trademark backflip on stage with the band in Munich, October 1987

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #badbrains #HR #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory

37 years ago today
Iggy Pop and Joey Ramone at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Ilinois, October 3, 1988.

Photo by Paul Natkin

#punk #punks #punkrock #punklegends #iggypop #joeyramone #history #punkrockhistory

48 years ago
Ramones: Dee Dee, Joey, Tommy and Johnny, Amsterdam, September 1977

#punk #punks #punkrock #ramones #oldschoolpunk #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory

Clash Vinyl Paradise

Your favorite album?

For me, as so often, the debut album 🎶⚡

#punk #punks #punkrock #theclash #punklegends #oldschoolpunk #history #punkrockhistory

46 years ago
Buzzcocks play a legendary show at Club 57 in New York in September 1979.

Photo: Frank Pelzman

#punk #punks #punkrock #buzzcocks #oldschoolpunk #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory #otd

45 years ago
The first Urgh! A Music War.

August 15/16, 1980, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium

Notes
Bad Brains were added to the lineup at short notice on the first day. Along with the Dead Kennedys, they stole the show and created a real buzz.

#punk #punks #punkrock #hardcorepunk #punklegends #history #punkrockhistory